About Pompeii
Covered by ash for centuries, this historic Roman city offers wonderful insight into ancient life, architecture, and art. And Mount Vesuvius? It still reigns over the entire region.
Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano with a height of 1281 meters (4203 feet) above sea level, claimed many victims in its massive eruption in 79 AD and covered entire cities, the most famous of which is Pompeii.
Pompeii had been a prosperous port city, inhabited by rich merchants who traded at the nearby port and built themselves luxurious villas – some of which can still be seen today. With the eruption of the mountain, the city was completely buried under a layer of volcanic ash several meters high. The destruction was originally documented in a surviving letter from Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, an admiral of the Roman fleet, who tried to rescue its citizens.
Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748 by an engineer who stumbled upon the remains while digging a trench. Most of the excavations were carried out much later, starting in 1860, and Pompeii has since become one of the most popular attractions. Touring the site with a local guide is recommended, as you’ll get the full picture of what life was like in Pompeii up to the moment of the volcanic eruption.
The first point will be the forum complex which was the center of life in the city. From here, you’ll walk along the streets seeing the homes of the rich, the shops, and the bakeries. You’ll also see brothels, as Pompeii was a bustling city with many sailors passing through. There are even the remains of human bodies who were caught in various positions of fear as the volcano erupted, and they remain as statues- testimony to the destruction.
Next to the archeological site of ancient Pompeii is the newly built Pompeii, a densely populated and nondescript town. Its residents, who live on the mountain and at its base, claim that the mountain is like a Neapolitan man- from time to time he gets angry, threatens, flexes a bit, and that's all. Let’s hope they’re right!
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