Incredible Pompeii Tourist Sites, Italy

‘Out of Pompeii’ is a poem I had to study during my college days. Through the protagonist, the poet sheds light on the catastrophe befell on Pompeii. However, one can never fathom its magnitude unless you visit Pompeii. With vague memories of what I had studied still flickering, I set foot on the incredible Pompeii tourist sites. Even before the trip, my friends who had been to Pompeii tourist sites, told me to be ready for long hours of stroll. We chose to visit the Pompeii tourist sites on a Sunday. A short walk from the Pompeii metro station and you can already see the towering Pompeii church and its bell tower. Lined with shops on either side of the road, if you walk for nearly five hundred meters from the church yard, you are at the entrance of Pompeii tourist sites. However, the entire stretch could be a long queue of people beelined to enter. Hence, be an early bird to ensure less crowd and less sunlight.

Photos and videos curtesy @ Tintu Johnson

An outline of Pompeii tourist sites

The UNESCO recognized heritage site of Pompeii expanded over 66 hectares is an incredibly unique, excavated ancient city near Naples in Italy. A vibrant civilization lived in all affluence was buried under volcanic ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Over the last couple of centuries, majority of the town has been unearthed and is open for the public. A panoramic stretch of land taking you back to ancient Roman settlement is what all about Pompeii tourist sites.

Ancient Pompeii

A prosperous Roman city, Pompeii, rose to supremacy during the times of emperors Octavian Augustus and Tiberius. The wealthy town with around 20k residents had envious architectural wonders built in it. Arts and furnishing works embellished posh houses and public buildings. It was a town that was well designed and constructed with classy houses aligned on either side of stone-paved roads. An amphitheatre, the Forum that houses important public buildings, the temple of Apollo, Stabian baths, restaurants, brothels, tombs and many more wonders make up the ancient city. It was thriving at its peak when the tragedy struck.

The catastrophe

A glorious city turned into a perpetual burial ground after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Pumice rain that lasted for hours alerted most of the citizens to flee the town. Discharge of ash and lapilli that lasted for two days engulfed the city. The remaining inhabitants were buried alive by the pyroclastic flows which incinerated everything in its path. It is described that ‘the people and buildings of Pompeii were covered in up to twelve different layers of tephra up to 6 metres deep’. For years the entire city remained a memory, fully buried.

The excavation phases

During the reign of Charles III of Bourbon in 1748 exploration and excavation commenced in Pompeii. The colossal effort began to unearth part of the necropolis outside the Ercolano gate, the temple of Isis and the theatre district. Extensive exploration continued on and off in the subsequent years. From the time of Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1861, a better, methodical process was adopted to explore. More and more discoveries were made. An earthquake in the vicinity in 1980, prompted the team to deploy systematic conservation method. Targeted excavations with simultaneous restoration saw majority of what we see today are well maintained. Even now, we could see maintenance works underway in different pockets. However, most of the excavation activities are put off.

Current Pompeii tourist sites

Pompeii attracts millions of tourists annually. And the reason? Unlike any other exhibitions or heritage sites, Pompeii scavii as it is known is open, vast and just mind-blowing. The entire stretch of land is divided into nine different regions. At the main entrance, you are briskly checked by security personnel as you walk in. A few meters down the line is ticket kiosk, and the final hurdle before your long march begins. On the stone paved path, you walk on to stare at houses, shops, public buildings, open halls, thermal complexes, amphitheatre and so on. Imagine you walking along a narrow, well-planned street with different types of buildings on either side. Majority of these structures pose a no entry sign. However, you could enter inside a few of them to see the interior of these ancient buildings.

After a couple of hours of wandering, it is highly possible that you would want to curtail the trip. Most of what you see would look similar in terms of erection, trajectory and the dilapidated condition. Nevertheless, never miss to climb the elevated spots from where you would get a bird’s eye view of the panoramic site. On the way back, do enter the mini museum in the premises.  The space displays over 150 artifacts from 79 AD. Among other objects from the Roman civilization prior to the catastrophe, what would startle you would be the human models or the fossilized bodies. It is a small museum but sheds light on the incredible past of early Romans.

Just outside the site, there are shops selling souvenirs and other interesting objects you might like to take away from the town.

Points to note

• It is open on all the days from 09:00 – 17:30
• Be prepared to walk for hours.
• Guided tours are available.
• Don’t be upset if you can’t cover half the area on a single day.
• Food and drinks are allowed inside.
• As far as possible avoid visiting in summer months especially if you don’t enjoy sunny days.
• On every first Sunday of the month, entry is free (hence expect large crowd too).
• Being a tourist town, everything is expensive in the street outside.

Fee: € 18.00 (on special occasions it would be discounted)

How to reach?

There is a bus stop and a metro railway station in the walking distance from the site. Nearest airport is in Naples which is around 30 minutes’ drive from Pompeii.