Herculaneum Pompeii
Their fame got all over the world for the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, described by Pliny the Younger, in which the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabia were destroyed. The humane catastrophe buried the cities completely, but preserved an extraordinary testimony of the lifestyle of that time. In fact, only in Pompeii and Herculaneum, it is possible to make a real leap in time, where you can appreciate the urban organization of 2000 years ago. In fact we have many evidences allowing us to reconstruct and understand so much about the customs and habits of that time. But not only that, the discovery of statues, mosaics and frescoes allowed us to see the Roman style and taste of that era.
Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplonti in 1997 were listed as Human World Heritage by UNESCO.
The excavationes
The first findings of the lost cities were at begin of 1700s, Herculaneum was found accidentally during the excavation of a water well. We can imagine the amazement at that time for discovering the legendary city, but although the news spread quickly, the excavations were not as much as rapid, in fact they only began in 1738. The same thing happened for the villa of Poppea in Oplonti, founded by chance during an excavation of a water well. While Pompeii was found only later, thanks to the discovery of an epigraph in which was mentioned the Res Publica Pompeian rum. The extraordinary news was so successful in the 19th century that the cities became mandatory destination of the Grand Tour: a journey that young European aristocracies undertook to rise in prestige. The excavations were abandoned and resumed several times over the centuries, today it is assumed that most of the archaeological remains are still buried.
Pompeii
It has an extension of 44 hectares, visiting it all in one day is almost impossible. There are many places of interest, and if you want to take run tour, you can hardly appreciate well the archaeological site. The best thing is to let yourself be led by tourist guide of the place who will introduce you to the ancient world found.
Herculaneum
Unlike Pompeii, The excavations are less extensive, but better preserved. This is because the ancient city during the explosion in 79 CE, was not buried by lapilli as Pompeii, but was directly covered by a 15 meters of pyroclastic material and hot mud that ran from the volcano. You can imagine the hardship in bringing up this splendid reality to the light.
Oplontis
If Pompeii and Herculaneum are rich in villas, here you can admire the best preserved one. Villa of Poppea has amazing frescoes in Pompeian style, especially wonderful trompe l’oeil that decorate the internal walls. The ancient Romans refined and naturalistic taste that once used to live at the foot of this imposing mountain.