Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in 79 A.D. that led to the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Enjoy a 2 hour tour with a local experienced guide of the excavation site and the old town of Pompeii. This eruption preserved the buildings, art work and even some of the people and has given us a clue to what everyday life was like in the Roman Empire. Since its first eruption it has dominated the lives of those who live on the Bay of Naples.
Itinerary
Pick up at the hotel
POMPEI
Fascinating and mysterious, Pompeii is one of the most famous and popular sites to visit. Frozen in time with its perfectly stone-paved streets, houses, temples, the Forum and theaters, it provides us with perfect picture of once thriving city. Buried under thick blanket of ashes, the ancient city of Pompeii was destroyed by sudden eruption in 79 A.D. of the volcano Vesuvius, fossilizing thousands of their citizens in less than twenty-four hours. For almost 2000 years Pompeii was hidden from the modern world and only in 1748 it was slowly reintroduced thanks to the excavation campaign started by Charles of Bourbon, the King of Two Sicilies. Since its discovery in the 1700s, Pompeii continues to surprise archaeologists with it’s marvels, giving us a glimpse of life during the Roman era.
The Forum
Pompeii’s commercial, religious, and political center stands at the intersection of the city’s two main streets. While it is the most ruined part of Pompeii, it’s grand nonetheless with temples, pedestals that once sported statues and the basilica, Pompeii’s largest building. The Curia, home of the government, stands at the end of the forum. It’s built of brick and mortar, a Roman invention.
The House of Faun
The House of the Faun was built during the second century B.C. and was the largest and one of the most impressive private residences in Pompeii and housed many great pieces of art. It is one of the most luxurious aristocratic houses from the Roman republic and reflects this period better than most archaeological evidence found even in Rome itself. The House of the Faun was named for the bronze statue of the dancing faun located, originally, on the lip of the impluvium, a basin for catching rainwater; it has been moved to the center of the impluvium. Fauns are spirits of untamed woodland, which Romans often connected to Pan and Greek satyrs, or wild followers of the Greek god of wine and agriculture, Dionysus.
Lunch suggestions upon your request
Il Lupanare
The Lupanare is the most famous brothel located in the ruined city of Pompeii. It is of particular interest due to the erotic paintings on the walls. Early Pompeian excavators, guided by strict modesty of the time period, quickly classified any building containing erotic paintings as brothels. Using this metric, Pompeii had 35 lupanares. Given a population of ten thousand in Pompeii during the first century A.D., this leaves one brothel per 286 people or 71 adult males. Using a stricter standard for identifying brothels brings the number to a more realistic figure including nine single room establishments and the Lupanare. Brothels during this time period were typically small with only a few rooms. The Lupanare was the largest of the brothels found in Pompeii with 10 rooms.
Teatro Grande
The theater of Pompeii was built during the Hellenistic period, 3rd – 2nd century BC, in the usual Greek fashion. The seating area, cavea, was set into the natural slope of a ridge; the orchestra was the horseshoe shape; the theater connects to a large porticoed area in which spectators could stroll during the intervals between spectacles. Additionally, the theater was associated with a temple complex and thus reflects the sacral character of Greek theater performances. The seating capacity was 5,000 people. An awning, velarium, stretched over the whole of the cavea to protect the spectators from the sun and rain.
At the end of the visit of Pompeii you will have an opportunity to visit and learn about the production of cameos and coral at local factories and take in some shopping at traditional stores of the area. In addition, you will be able to take an invigorating stroll along the sea and enjoy the panoramic views of Mount Vesuvius, Naples and the island of Capri.
Return to the hotel
Note: Pompeii is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Note: Length of the tour is 8 hours.