Pompeii

In 79 AD the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius completely buried the city of Pompeii under a 7-meter deep blanket of ash and lapillus.

This eruption turned Pompeii into the most amazing testimony we have of life under the Roman Empire and one of the most popular archeological sites in the world.

Today, walking through the streets of this ghost-town, there is a tangible dreamlike, disturbing atmosphere that is at once enchanting and fascinating.

At least once in your life you should experience this feeling and the rare privilege of traveling back in time, diving into a taste of the public and private life of a thousand-year old city that was suspended in time.

In the summer, there are night-time walking tours of the remains organized by the Special Superintendency for the Archeological Heritage of Pompeii works with the Campania Regional Government and Department of Cultural Heritage.

The walks reveal the most interesting parts of night-time Pompeii, accompanied by the music of Ennio Morricone and a multimedia show reconstructs the drama of the eruption.

Most of Pompeii’s residents, surprised by the eruption of Vesuvius, fled to the sea, to their deaths.

The few who remained, in the vain hope of sheltering in their cellars, died in agony from asphyxiation. The casts produced from the cavities left by their bodies in the ash, are a moving and fascinating testimony to the tragedy.

The most interesting aspect of Pompeii is the large number of houses – both humble and luxurious – as well as shops, restaurants, and bakeries, all equipped with everyday objects and furnishings.

The Forum is the living heart of the city: a large rectangular piazza paved with travertine and flanked on three sides by a portico.

Facing it is the Capitolium, dedicated to Jupiter, the Temple of Apollo built in the 3rd century B.C. and formed by a portico of 48 ionic columns, and the most important public building – the Basilica, seat of justice and center of business life.

Also facing the Forum is the Temple of Vespasian, dedicated to the imperial cult, the granaries where grain was gathered for sale, and the macellum, the covered food market.

Nearby is the Forum Baths, which were divided by gender, with a central heating system that supplied both.

The most important street was the via dell’Abbondanza, lined with craft shops, taverns, inns, and laundries. Also here are the Stabian Baths, the oldest building in the city, as well as the Lupanar, the city’s brothel, a two-story building whose purpose was revealed by the explicit, erotic paintings and graffiti.

The house of the Faun is the most beautiful of the remaining houses, due to its elegant architecture and famous mosaics, like the one depicting the Battle of Alessandro and Dario, a masterpiece now kept at the Archeological Museum in Naples. The house of Veti, known for its wonderful frescoes, belonged to two merchants – Aulo Vettio Restituto and Aulo Vettio Corniva. From the house of Menandro (so-called thanks to the painting depicting the Greek playwright) comes an exceptional collection of high-quality silver now kept in Naples.

One of the most important buildings in Pompeii is the Villa of Mysteries, famous for its paintings, like the marvelous fresco after which it is named, depicting 29 life-size figures in an initiation scene of the cult of Dionysus or Orpheus with strong colors on a red background.

An inscription shows that the Amphitheater is the oldest known building, the location of combats between gladiators and animals. Next to it is the Large Palestra, built under Augustus for gymnastic exercise.

Worth seeing at sunset is the via dei Sepolcri, the street flanked by funerary monuments that leads towards Herculaneum.

Giuseppe Fiorelli took charge of the site in 1860nd he was responsible for the most extensive excavations of the city that we can see today. He was responsible for pouring liquid plaster into the empty cavities left in the ash layer to obtain an imprint of those who perished after the eruption. Thanks to this effort we have we been able to learn and see the full horror of this tragedy and just how quickly it happened. The city is full of memories: tombstones, inscriptions, graffiti. The full, rich daily life of Pompeii, electoral propaganda, a restaurant bill, love letter, cheer for a gladiator – it’s all there on a stone wall or piece of marble.

This city holds unparalleled magic and mystery. Its entire essence has been brought back to life, showing us all how death arrived in a moment – making an impact of great beauty and, more than anything else, more human and touching than we could otherwise know.