Italian family beach holiday Pompeii tours day trip Mount Vesuvius

Pompeii is a ruined Roman city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei.

It was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD.

The volcano buried Pompeii under many meters of ash, and it was lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748.

Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

Today, it is a main tourist attraction of Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pompeii Discover History

After thick layers of ash covered the two towns, they were abandoned and eventually their names and locations were forgotten.

Then Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1738, and Pompeii in 1748.

These towns have since been excavated to reveal many intact buildings and wall paintings.

The towns were actually found in 1599 by an architect named Fontana, who was digging a new course for the river Sarno, but it took more than 150 years before a serious campaign was started to unearth them.

The king, Charles VII of Two Sicilies, took great interest in findings even after becoming king of Spain.

Greatest Italian Attraction

Today, Pompeii has become a popular tourist destination.

With approximately 6 million visitors per year, it is the most popular tourist attraction in Italy.

It is now part of a larger Vesuvius National Park and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

When Pompeii was buried under the ash and rubble of Mount Vesuvius, the objects buried beneath it were remarkably well-preserved.

Once exposed, Pompeii has been subject to both natural and man-made forces which have rapidly increased rate of deterioration.

New Pompeii Tourism

Weathering, erosion, light exposure, water damage, poor methods of excavation, tourism, vandalism and theft have damaged Pompeii in some way.

To combat problems associated with tourism, the Soprintendenza Archaeological di Pompei have begun issuing new tickets.

That allow for tourists to also visit cities such as Herculaneum and Stabiae as well as the Villa Poppaea, to encourage visitors to see these sites and reduce pressure on Pompeii.