With the return of Ferdinand of Bourbon to the throne of Naples, after the Congress of Vienna, excavations slowed down once again. His scant interest in archeology caused a setback compared to the Murat period: expropriated land was actually put up for sale again and the workforce was reduced to such an extent that by 1818 there were only 13 diggers left.
However, considerable work was dedicated to recovering the buildings of the Forum, the Theatre district and those around the Herculaneum Gate. The following years, between 1820 and 1830, were particularly fortunate for Pompeii, not only because Francois I - who had succeeded his father - was much more interested, but above all because the systematic exploration of via di Mercurio and of the insulae of regio VI, led to the discovery of a series of architecturally interesting houses with rich pictorial decorations.
This decade culminated in the sensational discovery of the mosaic depicting Alexander the Great and the magnificent mosaics of the whole House of the Faun (1830-32). Thanks to Francois I, excavations started up at Herculaneum again, after a standstill of about half a century.
His successors - Ferdinand II and Francois II, who only ruled for a year - did not show the same enthusiasm for Pompeii, except to turn it into a local curiosity and pleasure spot, a sort of open-air museum where distinguished guests could be taken, such as Alexandre Dumas in 1835, Pio IX in 1849 and Prince Maximilian in 1851. There were important discoveries in this period too: in 1845 most of regiones VI and VII along The Abundance Way were brought to light, up to the eastern boundry of The Stabian Way, and work was started on unearthing via della Fortuna and via di Nola and the adjacent insulae. Another important factor, which should not be underestimated, was the new railway line, completed around 1840, which enabled people to reach Pompeii from Naples, entering the site at the Marine Gate.
Buildings excavated between 1815 and 1860
- Basilica (1813-19)
- Temple of Apollo (1816-20)
- Forum (1820)
- Building of Eumachia (1820)
- Macellum and north and east side of the Forum (1821-22)
- Temple of the Fortuna Augusta (1824)
- Forum Baths (1824)
- House of the Tragic Poet (1824)
- Via di Mercurio (1825)
- House of the Large Fountain (1826)
- House of the Small Fortune (1827)
- Completion of excavations at the Insula Arriana (House of Pansa)(1827)
- Completion of excavations at the Amphitheatre (1827)
- House of the Dioscuri (1828-29)
- House of Meleager (1829-30)
- House of the Centaur (1829-30)
- House of the Faun (1830-32)
- House of the Figured Capitals (1832)
- House of the Painted Capitals (1832-33)
- House of the Labyrinth (1834)
- House of Apollo (1835)
- House of Orpheus (1843-49)
- Walls at the Marine Gate (1850)
- Stabian Baths (1854-59)
- House of the Citharist (1858)