Pompeii

The town of Pompeii is situated on a volcanic plateau, about 30 meters above the sea level on the Southern slope of the Mt. Vesuvius and at short distance from the river Sarno’s estuary. It can be considered the only archaeological site that maintains the intact image of a Roman town. Presumably founded by the Campanian Oscans in the VII century BC, Pompeii became the main Roman port for the inland agricultural cities of Campania such as Nocera, Acerra and Nola transporting their goods to the port of Pompeii trough the River Sarno.

In the V century the Samnites who came from the mountains conquered a vast area of Campania, including Pompeii, and therefore the city had great architectural and urban planning transformations. After the Samnite Wars Pompeii became a Roman colony even if keeping institutional and linguistic independence. Around the 2nd century BC the Roman domain over the Mediterranean favored the traffic of goods and Pompeii enjoyed a wealthy period both economically and for the population increase. This situation is evident because of the development of both public and private buildings: the Temple of Jupiter, the Basilica and the House of the Fauno all belong to this period.

During the Social Wars, in the first decade of 1st century BC Pompeii and Stabiae fought against Rome, but in spite of a strenuous defense, the town fell under Silla’s army and was definitively included under Roman power.

According to Tacitus in February 62 AD a terrible earthquake devastated the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, causing a lot of victims and damages to the buildings. The rebuilding was still taking place when in 79 AD Mt. Vesuvius buried completely the towns under a layer of ash, lapilli and other volcanic material.

Society

The peculiarity of Pompeii is the possibility to reconstruct the way of life at Roman times walking through its roads, visiting its buildings and private houses, entering into the markets and admiring painting, mosaics and every day objects.

The Sun path marked the daily activities of the inhabitants in the ancient Pompeii. The shops opened at down and the Forum got filled with merchants and sellers. People went to the Baths, also opened to slaves and went to numerous pubs to get a warm meal or a game of dice. The amphitheater represented the main attraction in town; the gladiators’ performances were extremely popular and were also the occasion for people sponsoring them to advance their cursus honoris (political carrier). The brothels were also very popular as the places destined to sexual pleasure. They were present in many parts of town and opened to locals and to strangers. The presence of a very busy port leaded to the mixing of different religions and created a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

The excavations

Between 1592 and 1600, during the construction of the Sarno Canal to bring the water of the river to the near town of Torre Annunziata happened the first discoveries of finds. Nevertheless the official exploration began in 1748 under the king of Naples Charles III of Bourbon, after ten years from the first exploration of Herculaneum. Initially the excavations made with the mere objective of collecting precious objects and decorations. It was only in 1763, after the finding of an inscription near Porta Ercolano with the name of the city carved on it that it was certain they were digging the ancient Pompeii and not Stabiae as it was initially thought. During the French domain, in the time of Enlightenment, the excavations focused on the reconstruction of the topography of the town. With the return of the Bourbons the excavations continued mainly in the North Western part of town with the extraordinary finding of the House of the Faun. After the birth of the Italian nation in the 1861, Giuseppe Fiorelli worked for the Italian government, and made a lot of important discoveries. He divided the town into regiones and insulae (districts and blocks) with the introduction of the molding technique that permitted through the insertion of liquid plaster in the empty underground spaces left by decomposed bodies, to obtain a plaster cast showing the last seconds of life of humans and animals. In the XX century, thanks to Amedeo Maiuri, the extension of the excavation reached 44 hectares and facilities were built to enhance tourism at the site. After the terrible earthquake in 1980, the cataloguing of the immense archaeological finds was intensified and nowadays a series of Italian and foreign archaeological teams are doing stratigraphic and historical researches.

 

INFO TOURS:

Many different itineraries are available.

             MARINA GATE TOUR 1 HOUR:

Suggested to cruisers, and in general, for those people who have limited time.
Highlights: Marina Gate, Basilica (court house), Forum (the main square), Municipal buildings (curia), the meat and fish market (Macellum), Thermal baths, Termopolium Capuano, House of the Tragic Poet, Bakery, Plaster casts, Temples.
COST: 90€

            MARINA GATE TOUR 2 HOURS:

Classic tour recommended to those people who visit Pompeii for the first time.
Highlights: Marina Gate, Basilica (court house), Forum (the main square), Municipal buildings (curia), the meat and fish market (Macellum), Thermal baths, Termopolium Capuano, House of the Tragic Poet, Bakery, plaster casts, Temples of Juppiter, Apollo and Venere, the Lupanar (brothel), Fountains and lead pipes.
COST: 120€

              MARINA GATE TOUR 3 HOURS:

Classic tour recommended to those people who visit Pompeii for the first time.
Highlights: Marina Gate, Basilica (court house), Forum, Sarno Baths, Triangolar Forum, Teatro Grande, Odeion (small theatre), House of Menander, Lupanar (brothel), Bakery, House of the Faun, Forum Baths, Termopolium Capuano, House of Tragic Poet, Plaster casts, Temple of Juppiter, Temple of Apollo, Temple of Venus.
COST: 180€

            AMPHITHEATER TOUR 2 HOURS:

Tour recommended to schools and families with children.
Highlights: Necropolis, Fortified wall, Amphitheater, Gym, Plaster casts, the main street, Termopolium of Vetuzio Placido (restaurant), Fullonica of Stephanus (laundry), Lupanar (brothel), Fountain and lead pipes, Forum (the main square), Temple of Juppiter, Municipal buildings (curia)
COST: 120€

            AMPHITHEATER 3 HOURS:

Tour recommended for schools and families.
Highlights: Necropolis of Nuceria Gate, City Walls, Amphitheater, Gymnasium, House of Venus in shell, Fields of fugitives, House of the Ship Europa, the street of Abundance, Termopolium di Vetutius Placidus (restaurant), the Fullonica of Stephanus (laundry), House of Menander, Odeion (small theatre), Big Theatre, Lupanar (brothel), Water pipes, Fountain of Abundance, Forum, Temple of Juppiter, Municipal buildings, Forum Thermal, Macellum, Plaster casts, Temple of Venus.
COST: 180€

—————————————————————————————-

According to your requests we can guarantee a personalized tour

—————————————————————————————-

TOURS DESCRIPTION:

Tour Price: 60€/per hour (minimum 2 hours)

Tour type: Archaeology and History tour; Private tour; walking tour.

Running days: Every day

Main visited places: Tours of every duration include visit at the private houses, public building, shops, plaster cast and the brothel.

Maximum travelers: 14 (a small group guarantee a service of better quality) Tours for larger groups can be arranged on demand.

What’s not included: Entrance ticket (13€); Transportation (If it can be arranged with Mercedes Limousine, Mini Van or Bus, , Hotel pick-up or drop-off)

Kid Friendly: Yes

 

 

Mail: naplestourguide@gmail.com

Tel: +39 3929086462