The complex of the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus represents one of the important examples within the architectural panorama of Pompeii. The garden, covering 1.581 m2, is situated to the west of the house, up against the town walls, built in opus quadratum of Sarno limestone.

Prior to the excavation geo-electric and geo-magnetic surveys were undertaken by the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Naples“Federico II”.

During the course of the seven excavation campaigns undertaken to date thirteen trenches of 5 × 5 m have been opened. The research has shed new light on the use of the external area of the largest house in Pompeii, adding to knowledge of the urbanisation and exploitation of the suburbium during a period between the 3rd century B.C. and the eruption in 79 A.D.

Recent excavation campaigns have confirmed the very interesting presence of a Hellenistic sanctuary, from which notable architectural elements and pottery finds have been recovered, all datable to between the 3rd and 1st century B.C.

During the last campaign the phases of construction and use of a system of cisterns was documented. Five opus signinum tanks remained, preserved in SG 3A-D-F-G-H, and datable to the mid 1st century B.C. The discovery of this drainage system relating to the construction of rows of houses in the II Pompeian style along the town walls supplies new and fundamental data for the overall reinterpretation of Pompeian urbanisation in the period following the establishment of the new Colonia Cornelia Pompeianorum.

The cisterns were razed in the Giulio-Claudian period for the construction of the new portico in tufa. Subsequently, during the final phase of the house, between 62 and 79 A.D., the external area was reused for dumping discarded material resulting from repairs to the building following the earthquake of 62 A.D.