Vesuvio, Pompei and Ercolano tour: one upon a time Pompei

It was August 24th, 79 B.C. when Vesuvio exploded tbrowing red-hot lava sprouts on the surrounding villages. In a few moments Pompei, Ercolano and roundabouts were completely covered with lava and ashes that chrystalized them. Their rests are the more precise evidence of life in Roman times and the most visited Italian archeological sites.

Pompei was discovered by chance between 1594 and 1600, during the reclamation of Sarno valley, when the architect Domenico Fontana dug a subterranean passage on the place where had raised the Amphitheatre and found some inscriptions, but he could not guess about the city expanding under his feet. The first real exploration performed with a scientific spirit dates 1748 during Carlo di Borbone's Kingdom and after Ercolano excavations had already begun. More methodic excavations were performed in 1860 under the direction of Giuseppe Fiorelli, he is the one who thought about trickling down chalk in the voids left on the layer of ashes to obtain the moulds of the people who had found a sudden death during the eruption.

The archeological site of Pompei extends on 66 hectares and has brought into light 3/5 of the ancient city. The main entrance is Porta Marina, that looks at the sea and is formed by two barrel-vaults, the tiny for pedestrians and the other used as a mule-track since the steep declivity prevented the passage to carts. Beside it there are the rests of the so-called Villa Imperiale, a large complex which is still not entirely studied, while on the left side there is the Antiquarium, transformed into a museum gathering evidences of life in Pompei, of its civilization and the famous moulds of people and animals who died during the eruption.

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The Amphitheatre is the oldest Roman one, it was built about 80 B.C. and could host up to 12.000 spectators. But if you wish to have a complete vision of the ancient Pompei you should go back to the Forum and walk on the Consular street over Ercolano Door. Here you may see first Diomede's Villa, with a large garden and arcades, and then the popular Villa dei Misteri probably the most important of Pompei, dating to the first half of the II century B.C. but later re-arranged and widened. Really magnificent the cycle of paintings in its inside (I century B. C.) portraing the initiation rythe of Dyonisian misteries.

On the Western sides of Vesuvio lay the archeological excavations of Ercolano. Roman holiday resort that was founded by Ercole and was completely covered by a 23 m. high mud flow during the tragic eruption. You can access the excavations from the square on Corso Resina from where you can also enjoy a panoramic view on the site. You should see the extraordinary rests of the wooden fornitures that could be preserved only in Ercolano because of the peculiar characteristics of the interment.

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Oplontis excavations lay in the centre of Torre Annunziata. They include Poppea Villa, a magnificent example of Roman aristocracy that was built in the Caesarian era. In Boscoreale (Villa Regina hamlet) you may see the National Antiquarium, a museum gathering rests from Pompei, Ercolano, Oplontis, Stabia, Terzigno and Boscoreale to illustrate the main characteristics of the Vesuvian environment in Roman times.

Vacanze a Pompei e Ercolano

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