Pompeii

By piglet990

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Pompeii (photo from http://www.photos4travel.com/travelArticles)

Located a short distance from Naples, Italy, Pompeii marks the ancient site where for two days in AD 79, ash and lava spewed from nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius, completely burying the city and its inhabitants. Following this event, the city vanished from sight, and its existence remained unknown until 1748 when an intentional archeological excavation was set up in the area and the remains of the destruction were unearthed.

Now, nearly two-thousand years later, visitors can journey to this ancient site for a lesson in both archeology and geology. Although the volcanic eruption was highly destructive, a surprising amount of buildings have remained intact, complete with original mosaics and wall paintings. The city is surprisingly extensive, and because of its burial, it survived the test of time as it avoided the hazards of erosion through air and water, as well as light exposure.

One of the most fascinating things to view at Pompeii are the preserved bodies of the ancient inhabitants and victims at the time of the eruption. Visitors can clearly see the fear and terror written into the bodies of those who failed to escape and save their lives, their moments of death frozen into the hardened ash. Even a small dog remains, distress clearly written into its body language.

It is an eerie and rewarding experience to walk down the ancient streets of Pompeii, everything left exactly as it was two-thousand years ago as so many lost their lives in such a catastrophic event. Now, we can learn from and enjoy the peaceful spot that was once a scene of disaster so many years ago.


Many tour companies have Pompeii listed as one of their destinations, but a train from Rome to Naples is also a good alternative. Trains from Rome take about 3 hours to get to Naples, while trains from Naples can range anywhere between 25 and 40 minutes to get to Pompeii. The Circumvesuviana train departs from Naples every 30 minutes at the central train station at the Piazza Garibaldi.

One may also wish to drive themselves (although this is not recommended - the Italian highways can be VERY confusing), but if one wishes to do so, it would be a good idea to keep some spare change in the car for the highway tolls.

Pompeii Official Site




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