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Photos Bringing the Outdoors in
Augustus' house was first discovered by archaeologist Gianfilippo Carettoni in the early 1960s. It took decades of patient restoration and nearly 2 million euros to piece back together fragments of the frescoes emerging from the dig. "It has been like piecing together a huge puzzle," Italy's culture minister Francesco Rutelli said at the opening ceremony. The windowless rooms feature comic masks, flowers, mythical animals, and garden vistas emerging from yellow columns, showing startling depth in what may have been a primitive form of virtual reality. Indeed, the murals suggest 3-D architectural structures on two-dimensional surfaces: Augustus' small study is decorated with painted windows and columns, while another room has a theatrical theme. A wall is painted like a stage with narrow side doors and comic masks peering through small windows. "One of the most interesting rooms is undoubtedly Augustus' study. It was here, in this small room, that he retired to take the most important decisions," said Daniela Scagliarini Corlaita, a professor of Roman archeology at Bologna University in northern Italy. In a joint project with the UCLA Cultural Virtual Reality Lab and Bernard Frischer, a leading expert in virtual heritage reconstructions, Scagliarini created a computer model in which the small study has been virtually restored to its original condition. "We have been able to digitally restore the lost areas in the wall paintings. Our reconstruction fills the white spots with the most likely scenes and shades of color. It is an important achievement. After all, this small room was the center of the world for years," Scagliarini Corlaita said. Only five people at a time are allowed to enter the frescoed rooms due to their fragility and size.
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