Herculaneum, the ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, reopened two of its most magnificent residences on Wednesday after 25 years. The frescoed House of the Tuscan Colonnade and the House of the Wooden Sacello were restored as part of a public-private conservation partnership between the Packard Humanities Institute and the Herculaneum Archaeological Park.

Speaking at the reopening ceremony, Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli said the alliance with the Packard Humanities Institute, in place for the past 24 years, has proven to be "fruitful and far-sighted".