One of the best tourist destinations in Southern Italy is certainly Pompeii, a magical and magnificent place in Campania which has also been recognized as a “UNESCO World Heritage” .
Pompeii was founded around the 8th century BC by Osci, who occupied the territory near Vesuvium, and it was later conquered by Greeks, Etruscans, Samnites and Romans. The Roman period starting at the end of the 3rd century BC was one of the most flourishing ones, as the city became an important commercial, economic and cultural center.
In 62 BC, a strong earthquake destroyed Pompeii, but the reconstruction attempts proved to be useless when an apocalyptical tragedy stroke the city in 79 BC, deleting it completely.
On the morning of August 24th, after a series of violent earth tremors, a terrible Vesuvium eruption took place. The air became unbreathable because of the presence of sulfur, the sky darkened as ash filled the atmosphere and an enormous black cloud started to move in, blocking every glimmer of light. The area around Pompeii got totally covered by ash and lava, while Ercolano was submerged by incandescent mud for 20 meters.
After that day, nothing was left and these towns literally disappeared from the face of Earth. Nobody knew about their existence until the 16th century, when some evidence was found during the works for the creation of a water canal, even though another eruption in 1613 covered everything once again. It was after an accidental discovery by a farmer that a regular excavation project started off in the 18th century, under the promotion of Duke Emanuele Maurizio d’Elboeuf and Carlo III di Borbone, which succeeded in bringing to light a wonderful ancient world.
Nowadays, you have the opportunity to visit Pompeii's excavations to admire its splendid monuments and to see the famous plaster casts reproducing the facial expressions, positions and clothes' folds of Pompeii citizens in the moment of the impact with the violent eruption. You will be walking in the ancient city center near the Forum, Apollo's Temple and the Amphitheater built in 80 BC. Also visit "Casa del Fauno", an ancient Roman villa with a wonderful mosaic, or "Teatro Grande", a majestic bulding dating back to the 2nd century BC.
You can check opening hours on the ticket office site, as they change depending on the period you choose. Tickets for Pompeii site cost €13 or €7,50, while the cumulative ticket including Pompeii, Ercolano, Oplonti, Stabia and Boscoreale sites costs € 22 or €12 (entrance is free for UE citizens under 18 or over 65 years old).
Even "New Pompeii" conceals some wonders in its center: visit "Santuario della Vergine del Rosario" and "Villa dei Misteri", then relax going shopping in the numerous shops and stop eating something in one of the delicious local restaurants!
