Travel Guide to Pompei, Italy

Pompeii is a Roman city which was ruined and partially buried near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in AD 79.

One of the most significant commercial centers of Campania, Pompeii had a population of almost 20.000 people, of which 10% died by intoxication or suffocation during the eruption. This famous ancient city was frozen in time. This fact is a great opportunity to explore all aspects of life in the first century of the imperial Roman Empire. And also it is a chance to know more about the people who lived there. There is a special museum in Pompeii, where the owners of this museum keep the remains of dead people. Those people died because of the gasses erupting from the volcano and then buried by the ashes. After the eruption those ashes hardened, and left a perfect mold of the bodies. After some time it was decomposed. Nowadays thanks to the work of the archaeologists we have an opportunity to have a look at frightening insight in the massive tragedy that took place.

The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under 60 feet of ash and pumice. The population has died. The city was empty. Nowadays it is alive again but only because of many tourists attracted to that unique place. Walking through the ancient streets of one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, you can see everywhere the evidence of the people who lived there: in the buildings and especially in the painted signs outside the shops and, most pleasant perhaps, the graffiti on the walls. The archaeological digs let us know that the Pompeiians were enthusiastic wall-scribblers. If you are interested in their culture you can easily find there all sorts of statements, ranging from random wisdom, for example – 'Profit is happiness', to declarations of love to petty insults such as – 'Oppius, clown, thief, petty crook! '.

Once you decide to visit Pompeii make sure you have not forgotten to visit The House of the Tragic Poet (also called The Homeric House or The Iliadic House). This is a very famous place. It is a typical 2nd century BC Roman house. The house, or villa, is well-known for its elaborate mosaic floors and frescoes depicting scenes from Greek myths. One more very interesting place is the House of the Vetii, which is famous for its fresco painting. The Amphitheater is also a legendary place. It's so called because it is composed of two theaters, for an amphitheater is round, whereas a theater, having a semicircular shape, is half an amphitheater. And of course don't forget to see the Villa dei Mysteri, which is a well preserved ruin of a Roman Villa which lies almost 800 meters north-west of Pompeii.