Voices from the past

If you love immersing yourself in stirring classical world settings, a visit to Pompeii becomes an unforgettable event. The small town a few kilometres from Naples is the favourite destination for Greek-Roman art lovers but also for whoever likes losing themselves in sensations of the past. The town, of Etruscan founding, dates back to the 8th century BC. In just a few years it went from Etruscan to Greek domination, until the Samnite conquest, which corresponds to a first moment of growth and embellishment. Later the town becomes a Roman ally in the anti-Samnite wars, finally becoming a colony of the Empire in 91 BC. The great eruption of the Vesuvio in 79 AD completely buries it. For centuries the beauties of the ancient city were concealed underground and it is only in 1700 that Charles III of Bourbon starts excavations, returning one the world's wonders to the light.

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The modern city rises at the foothills of the Vesuvio, in the territory occupied after the dramatic eruption in 79 AD, known as the Campo Pompeiano (Pompeii field). The excavations are one of the most important archaeological finds in the whole world. Long and laborious work brought out the whole town structure of the ancient city, revealing a formation that cannot be found in any other Roman city and which is characterised by the overlapping of five different construction ages. One particularly impressive sight is the casts taken from the ash prints that trapped the people's suffering in the instant the city was destroyed. The frescoes and decorations of villas outside town, for example Villa dei Misteri and Villa di Diomede, are truly beautiful. Very few kilometres away from Pompeii you can visit Herculaneum, another archaeological site of extraordinary beauty characterised by the incredible good conditions of some of its remaining buildings. Pompeii is also the destination of fervent religious tourism, as the city hosts a famous sanctuary dating back to the late 1800's dedicated to the Madonna del Rosario, attracting pilgrims from all over the world.

Events

Cultural and artistic events in Pompeii are closely tied in to nearby Naples. An experience we recommend is a nocturnal visit to the ancient city, lit up in awe-inspiring way. Pompeii is also a town of great artistic ferment. Theatre lovers orbit around the Centro Sperimentale "Annibale Ruccello", a drama school organised and directed by the theatre association "Il trucco e l'anima".