Modeled after a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy, the Getty Villa is a museum, archeological facsimile and photographer's playground. It was based on (often unexcavated) remains buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Therefore, architects based many of the Museum's architectural and landscaping details on elements from other ancient Roman houses in the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. The building itself was constructed in the early 1970s by architects who worked closely with J. Paul Getty to develop the interior and exterior details.
Throughout the grounds, you find frescoes, statues and details of a bygone life. If you're in the area, I urge you to visit, walk the grounds, relax with a nice vintage wine, and let it speak to you.
