Pompeii: A spectacular walk in time by Luigi Spina

Spina developed this ambitious project during another tragic event, the 2020 pandemic, at a time when the archaeological park was empty, and closed to the public. In complete isolation, the Italian photographer inhabited the city, living in more than sixty Pompeian homes, located in eight of the nine regions into which the city is divided, and discovered all the details of its mosaics and fantastic wall paintings, wonderfully reproduced in this book.

The book delves into the spaces of the Pompeian houses and discovers the identity of the families that occupied them, their lineage, their social level, and their professional activity, thanks to the spectacular shots of Luigi Spina, taking a journey that opens up much more than a window into the ways of life of Roman civilization.


Juvenes VIII 2 23 24. Pompeii by Luigi Spina. Photography by Luigi Spina.


Casa Adone VI 7 18. Pompeii by Luigi Spina. Photography by Luigi Spina.

After the first archaeological projects of the 18th century in Naples thanks to the Spanish Charles III, a stream of archeology projects began, among which Pompeii stands out, discovered in 1748 under meters of volcanic ash and pumice, which eclipsed the rest of archaeological projects and allowed the beginning of systematic excavations in the place that would facilitate rediscovering the splendor of civilization never forgotten, and opened a door to a reality that was abruptly stopped.

The book offers the possibility of contemplating again the daily life, the public and private spaces of inhabitants petrified under the ashes. One of the most visited and most attractive enclaves for lovers of archeology, and art and all those who want to open a window to one of the past stages of our civilization.


Juvenes VIII 2 23 24. Pompeii by Luigi Spina. Photography by Luigi Spina.

The book is the result of an international co-edition that goes on sale simultaneously in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

As a preamble to Spina's images, the book has texts by Gabriel Zuchtriegel (General Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii), Massimo Osanna (General Director of Museums of the Italian Ministry of Culture and professor of Classical Archeology at the Federico II University of Naples), Carlo Rescigno (Full Professor of Classical Archeology at the Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania – Southern Higher School), Giuseppe Scarpati (Head of the Photographic Archive of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii) and the photographer himself.