European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 5, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Giuseppe Lanziano prepares to conduct a group Down the rickety ramp leading to one of the House s Many rooms. Continued from Page 3 with Chalk used by the romans to repair Walls damaged by an earthquake that struck nearly two decades before the eruption. Scaffolding supports a temporary roof and some of the building s Walls Arches and pillars. The designs for the restored House show a roman style roof planned to someday replace the catwalks that extend Over the excavations. Pieces of plywood scattered throughout the site hold piles of painted plaster chips. They Are the remains of frescoes. Like Jigsaw puzzles the piles await someone worthy of the Challenge to assemble them into a finished work. The House of Chaste lovers was named for a painting of two people staring at each other. It is one of three paintings in a Small room in the Maze of Chambers that make up the House. A horse stall adjoins one of the rooms. Five animal skeletons lie there one is partly out a door through which the animal May have been trying to flee when the Volcano s Ash and fumes overcame it. The same Fate befell Many of Pompeii s 21,000 human inhabitants. Perhaps one of the most telling pieces of evidence that the eruption interrupted everyday life is a painting on a Wall in the House s dining room. It depicts two pillars spaced several Yards apart. One column is Complete but Only a rough sketch indicates where the artist intended to paint the second pillar. The painting was never finished. Another Structure named after a painting is Casa i Menandro commonly known As Menander s House. It actually belonged to a relative of Poppa a Sabina the emperor Nero s second wife. Quot it s the Best House at Pompeii for paintings and construction Quot Giuseppe Lanziano told a group he recently led through the Large Villa. Lanziano who has been with the staff at Pompeii for 28 years showed his guests several significant aspects of the restored Villa. Besides the painting of the poet Menander the building contains a Sauna and an intricate mosaic that indicates that egyptian religions were an important part of life in . The tiles used in the rendition of the flooding of the Nile Are Small making the picture More detailed than patterns elsewhere in the Villa s floor. In a Back room a display Case holds the skeletons of thieves who broke into the House during the eruption and perished As they attempted to loot the Rich household. Unlike Casa Dei Casti Amanti Menander s House is restored and has a permanent roof. According to five horse skeletons were discovered in a stall near the room with die painting of the Chaste lovers. Conticello it has been restored As much As possible to make Quot sense Quot to the visitors. Unfortunately in 1980, after Menander s House was restored a powerful earthquake damaged the area and closed about 75 percent of Pompeii to tour rats. Engineers slowly examined and reopened much of the site. But Menander s House remains closed to Large crowds because experts fear the Rix of May collapse. A amps photos by Gary Miller a Section of the Watt with an unfinished painting. 4 stripes Magazine december 5, 1991