A full day tour to the once lost city of Pompeii. See with your own eyes Mount
Vesuvius the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted in the last
hundred years. Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in 79 A.D. that led to
the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Enjoy a 2 hour tour with a local
experienced guide of the excavation site and the old town of Pompeii. This
eruption preserved the buildings, art work and even some of the people and has
given us a clue to what everyday life was like in the Roman Empire. Since its
first eruption it has dominated the lives of those who live on the Bay of
Naples.
*** Itinerary ***
*** Pick up at the hotel***
Fascinating and mysterious, Pompeii is one of the most famous and popular sites
to visit. Frozen in time with its perfectly stone-paved streets, houses,
temples, the Forum and theaters, it provides us with perfect picture of once
thriving city. Buried under thick blanket of ashes, the ancient city of Pompeii
was destroyed by sudden eruption in 79 A.D. of the volcano Vesuvius, fossilizing
thousands of their citizens in less than twenty-four hours. For almost 2000
years Pompeii was hidden from the modern world and only in 1748 it was slowly
reintroduced thanks to the excavation campaign started by Charles of Bourbon,
the King of Two Sicilies. Since its discovery in the 1700s, Pompeii continues to
surprise archaeologists with its marvels, giving us a glimpse of life during the
Roman era.
The Forum
Pompeiis commercial, religious, and political center stands at the
intersection of the citys two main streets. While it is the most ruined part of
Pompeii, its grand nonetheless with temples, pedestals that once sported statues
and the basilica, Pompeiis largest building. The Curia, home of the government,
stands at the end of the forum. Its built of brick and mortar, a Roman
invention.
The House of Faun
The House of the Faun was built during the second century B.C. and was the
largest and one of the most impressive private residences in Pompeii and housed
many great pieces of art. It is one of the most luxurious aristocratic houses
from the Roman republic and reflects this period better than most archaeological
evidence found even in Rome itself. The House of the Faun was named for the
bronze statue of the dancing faun located, originally, on the lip of the
impluvium, a basin for catching rainwater; it has been moved to the center of
the impluvium. Fauns are spirits of untamed woodland, which Romans often
connected to Pan and Greek satyrs, or wild followers of the Greek god of wine
and agriculture, Dionysus.
*** Lunch suggestions upon your request ***
Il Lupanare
The Lupanare is the most famous brothel located in the ruined city of
Pompeii. It is of particular interest due to the erotic paintings on the walls.
Early Pompeian excavators, guided by strict modesty of the time period, quickly
classified any building containing erotic paintings as brothels. Using this
metric, Pompeii had 35 lupanares. Given a population of ten thousand in Pompeii
during the first century A.D., this leaves one brothel per 286 people or 71
adult males. Using a stricter standard for identifying brothels brings the
number to a more realistic figure including nine single room establishments and
the Lupanare. Brothels during this time period were typically small with only a
few rooms. The Lupanare was the largest of the brothels found in Pompeii with 10
rooms.
Teatro Grande
The theater of Pompeii was built during the Hellenistic period, 3rd - 2nd
century BC, in the usual Greek fashion. The seating area, cavea, was set into
the natural slope of a ridge; the orchestra was the horseshoe shape; the theater
connects to a large porticoed area in which spectators could stroll during the
intervals between spectacles. Additionally, the theater was associated with a
temple complex and thus reflects the sacral character of Greek theater
performances. The seating capacity was 5,000 people. An awning, velarium,
stretched over the whole of the cavea to protect the spectators from the sun and
rain.
At the end of the visit of Pompeii you will have an opportunity to visit and
learn about the production of cameos and coral at local factories and take in
some shopping at traditional stores of the area. In addition, you will be able
to take an invigorating stroll along the sea and enjoy the panoramic views of
Mount Vesuvius, Naples and the island of Capri.
*** Return to the hotel ***
