Pompeii & Naples at New Year

This morning we take the short drive to the National Archaeological Museum, home to many of the finest wall paintings and statues that were recovered from Pompeii. After lunch, we walk to the cloister of Santa Chiara, covered with fabulous maiolica tiles, the Roman baths and the excavated streets below San Lorenzo Maggiore.

Today we have a full day roaming the incomparable sights of Pompeii, an ancient Roman city destroyed by Vesuvius. Nowhere in the world offers a more comprehensive look at the compelling minutiae of everyday Roman life. We tour its streets, public buildings, villas, bars and shops – and step in to a selection of recently opened sites such as the House of Venus in the Shell, with its incredible wall paintings in the garden. Expect to be amazed at the quality of this work.

This morning we visit the once prosperous city of Herculaneum, which was buried by deep pyroclastic surges hotter than those which simultaneously covered Pompeii. Herculaneum suffered significant earthquake damage some 15 years before Vesuvius’ great eruption, and evidence of this is still visible on its buildings today. After, we venture to Oplontis, said by many to be the home of Nero’s wife Poppaea.

On New Year’s morning, we will have a late start. After brunch, we head underground, slipping beneath the hills overlooking Naples to view the secret world that lies beneath... the Catacombs of San Gennaro. The patron saint of Naples was buried here under the later Roman Empire before being moved to the Cathedral. The afternoon will be free to stroll through Naples at your own leisure.

In the morning we drive to the Greco-Roman city of Pozzuoli to see one of the best-preserved amphitheaters in the Roman world, constructed by the same architects who built the Colosseum. A sizeable Roman Macellum nearby continues to impress. After lunch we get up close and personal with the gorgeous Piscina Mirabilis – a huge cliff-carved cistern which stored water for the Roman fleet stationed in the harbor at Misenum.

Time permitting, we have some free time in Naples before returning home.