Highlights of Pompeii

We devote a whole day to Pompeii, the busy trading town on the mouth of the Sarnus river enveloped by the catastrophic eruption of AD 79, leaving it a permanent witness to life in an ancient Roman city. As about 60% of the entire town has been excavated, it is an enormous site which reveals details of every day life from wonderful frescoes to graffiti, one way streets and stepping stones which allowed people to cross streets without stepping into the filth of a busy town without an adequate sewage system. We visit elite domus, industrial sites, bars serving ancient fast food and bakeries, as well as monumental public buildings such as baths and theatres. Travelling by the best routes to avoid the crowd, we visit sites which have only recently reopened to the public or which have only just been excavated.

The Naples Archaeological Museum houses the extraordinary finds from the excavations from the Vesuvian towns, as well as from other cities in Bay of Naples. Exquisite bronze statues, such as those found in the Villa of the Papyri, which would normally have been melted down and reused; marble statues which would have been broken up to make lime for fertiliser; beautiful wall paintings which would have decayed or plastered over – all would have been lost had Vesuvius not erupted and buried them all. Highlights include the stunning mosaics from the House of the Faun, including the Alexander mosaic skilfully crafted with minute tesserae. See also the unique collection of frescoes, such as the so called Sappho or the portrait of Terentius Neo and his wife. This afternoon is at leisure to explore Naples –you might take a tour of underground Naples, view the famous statue of Cristo Velato in the Cappella Sansevero or wander around the Via dei Tribunali.

Today we explore Herculaneum, an opulent, seaside town very unlike Pompeii, which was violently buried by a pyroclastic flow which deposited 25 metres of matter on the city, permanently sealing it anaerobically, thereby allowing organic material to survive. The difficulty of excavating Herculaneum means a much smaller area has been excavated, though what has been exposed is far better preserved. We see shutters just barely open and view furniture in a house arranged as it would have been. Walking through the tunnel to what was once the seashore where hundreds of bodies have been found huddled in the boathouse is an unforgettable experience. We will also visit an extraordinary exhibit at the Reggia di Portici entitled 'The Wood that Didn’t Burn', which consists of wooden artefacts found in Herculaneum and preserved by virtue of the more than 20-metre deep pyroclastic flow that hermetically sealed the seaside city, delicately preserving its organic objects. We finish the day with a visit to the opulent villa maritima at Oplontis, which might have belonged the family of Poppaea, wife of Nero. Here we see stunningly preserved frescoes which were being refurbished at the time of the eruption, as well as remarkably well preserved slave quarters which allow us a glimpse into a Roman household.

After breakfast this morning, our tour comes to an end and we make our independent onward journeys.