ROME, June 27 (Reuters) - A fresco that depicts what might be an ancestor of the Italian pizza has been found on the wall of an house in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy's Culture Ministry said on Tuesday.
While it cannot technically be considered a pizza, since it lacks classic ingredients such as tomato and mozzarella, what was found in Pompeii "may be a distant relative of the modern dish", according to a statement.
Pompeii, destroyed by an eruption of the Mount Vesuvius volcano nearly 2,000 years ago, is only about 23 km away from Naples, the modern-day home of the Italian pizza, a UNESCO-protected food.
The fresco was discovered in the hall of a house that had a bakery attached to it, which was partly excavated in the 19th century and where digging resumed in January, the culture ministry said.
($1 = 0.9142 euros)Reporting by Cristina Carlevaro, editing by Alvise Armellini and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Cristina Carlevaro, Alvise Armellini, Angus MacSwan
Organizations:
Culture Ministry, UNESCO, EU, Thomson
Locations:
Naples