Ruins Of Pompeii

Pompeii: Two Million Visitors a Year, Still Worth Every Minute

Pompeii was buried under four to six metres of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79 CE. The eruption lasted eighteen hours. Around 2,000 bodies have been found in the ruins, though the pre-eruption population was around 11,000 - most escaped. The site covers 44 hectares, making it the largest excavated Roman city in the world. About two-thirds has been uncovered since systematic excavation began in 1748; the rest is still underground, deliberately unexcavated in parts to allow future archaeologists to work with better technology.

Planning the Visit

Pompeii Archaeological Park opens at 9am and closes at 7pm in summer, 5pm in winter. Book tickets at pompeiitickets.it before arriving - the queue to buy on the day in July and August can be two hours. Adult admission is EUR 18, or EUR 22 for the combined ticket that also covers Herculaneum (see below).

The site is enormous. A rushed visit takes three hours; a thorough visit takes a full day. The main entrance is Porta Marina (Gate 1); this is where most visitors enter and where the most significant buildings are concentrated in the southern section. A second entrance at Piazza Anfiteatro (Gate 2) in the east is less crowded and gives direct access to the Amphitheatre.

Getting there: Pompeii is 25 kilometres southeast of Naples. The Circumvesuviana train from Naples Porta Nolana station runs to the Pompeii Scavi stop every 30 minutes, takes about 35 minutes, and costs EUR 3.20. This is significantly more convenient than driving.

What to See

The Forum is the civic and commercial centre of the city, surrounded by the Temple of Jupiter, the Basilica (law courts), and the macellum (market). The large statues that once lined it are long gone but the travertine stone paving and the view toward Vesuvius are striking. The Lupanare (brothel), a five-minute walk from the Forum, has seventeen small rooms with stone beds and explicit painted panels above each doorway that served as a menu of services available. It is always crowded and the combination of seriousness and prurience in the visitor reaction is itself interesting.

The House of the Vettii was the home of two wealthy freed slaves, the Vettii brothers, and contains the best-preserved frescoes in Pompeii. The paintings include mythological scenes, still lifes, and the famous figure of Priapus at the entrance, which has been covered and uncovered several times based on the sensibilities of successive administrations. Currently visible. The garden contains replicas of the original bronze fountain sculptures.

The Amphitheatre at the eastern end of the site was built in 70 BCE and seats 20,000 - the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre in the world. A famous mosaic in the Naples Archaeological Museum shows a riot that took place here in 59 CE between Pompeii fans and fans from nearby Nuceria, which resulted in the venue being banned from staging events for ten years.

The Plaster Casts are the most affecting element for most visitors. When the ash hardened around bodies, the bodies decayed over centuries, leaving voids. In 1863, archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli injected plaster into the voids to create casts. The results are in the Garden of the Fugitives (east section of the site) and at various points throughout - people in their last positions: a family huddled together, a dog still chained to its post, a man covering his face. These are not reconstructions; they are exact impressions of real people at the moment they died.

Herculaneum: The Better-Preserved Alternative

Herculaneum was destroyed by the same eruption but buried deeper (20 metres of volcanic material) and by pyroclastic flows rather than falling ash. The result is better preservation: carbonised wooden furniture, intact upper floors, frescoes that look almost fresh, and shop signs still visible on the street walls. The site is smaller than Pompeii (only about 20 percent excavated) and significantly less crowded.

The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is 12 kilometres west of Pompeii, reachable by Circumvesuviana train to the Ercolano Scavi stop. Combined tickets cover both sites. Give it two to three hours. The “boathouses” on the harbour front contain the largest group of skeletal remains found at either site - around 300 people who sheltered there and were killed by the pyroclastic surge.

Mount Vesuvius

The hike to the crater rim (1,281 metres) starts from a car park at 1,000 metres, reached by bus from Pompeii or Herculaneum station. The walk from the car park takes about thirty minutes on a gravel path. The crater is 300 metres deep. The last eruption was 1944. Admission EUR 12 per person. The view from the rim encompasses Naples, the bay, the islands of Capri and Ischia, and the entire extent of the Campanian plain. Worth doing even if geology does not interest you - the view into the crater itself is impossible to replicate.

Where to Eat

The food options near the Pompeii entrance are tourist standard (acceptable pizza, overpriced). Naples, 35 minutes by train, is one of the best food cities in Italy.

Da Michele in Naples on Via Cesare Sersale is the reference pizzeria for Neapolitan pizza - it has been making only two varieties (marinara and margherita) since 1870. The queue moves reasonably fast; arrive at opening time (11am) or expect forty minutes waiting.

In the Pompeii area, Ristorante Presidente near the archaeological site entrance is the reliable local option for a proper sit-down meal: seafood, pasta, and regional wines at EUR 25 to 35 per head.

Where to Stay

For day-tripping from Naples: the city is thirty minutes away and has a much better range of accommodation and restaurants. Costantinopoli 104 in the Spaccanapoli area is a small luxury hotel (doubles from EUR 150) in a beautiful 19th-century villa. Hotel Piazza Bellini is a reliable mid-range option at EUR 90 to 120.

For staying near Pompeii: Hotel Maiori in the town of Pompeii is comfortable and central to the archaeological site, around EUR 80 to 110 per night.