Newly restored ruins in Pompeii - six restored homes and bathhouses with detailed mosaic tiles and graffiti - are finally open for tourists and locals to visit after undergoing years of restoration.
The process started when Italian authorities and EU's European Commission partnered in 2012. They have since spent 150 million Euros (around $164 million) in consolidating structures, building a drainage system and restoring artifacts at the UNESCO World Heritage site situated near Naples, Italy, according to CNN.
Pompeii is a famous historical site because of the many ancient ruins that were preserved during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The area was covered in hot rock, volcanic ash and noxious gas. While plenty were suffocated and burned, homes and other structures were encased in a natural time capsule that enabled this generation access to ancient times, Examiner reported.
The city of Pompeii currently faces problems like labor disputes that resorted to tourist lock out and a shortage of maintenance funds for historical sites that resulted in the collapse of some ruins.
The newly restored ruins give the city a new wave of optimism.
"These are houses of extraordinary importance, because they show a very original and particular cross section of life during ancient Pompeii," said Antonio Irlando, President of Cultural Heritage Observer, according to Newsmax.
