Mary Beard describes the House of the Vettii as bearing exquisite frescoes and having belonged to Alus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus, presumed ex-slaves. This is the house with the painting of Priapus weighing his preposterous phallus, which you should be able to see on the top half of this photo.
The ancient Romans, including those in Pompeii, lived in homes that were very different from what we're used to. There were central courts or rooms with a light-providing hole in the ceiling around which the rooms were built. The walls in the rooms were often painted in the fresco style seen on these pages. Floors could be covered with decorative or functional mosaics.
For comprehensive information on Pompeii, see The Fires of Vesuvius, by Mary Beard.
