The ancient Roman city of Pompeidestroyed by the eruption of the Vesuvius of the 79 ADIt is one of archaeological sites most famous in Italy and the world. It was probably born as a foundation center italicand with the Roman conquest it became a city flourishinguntil the devastating cataclysm that destroyed it buriedThe tragedy of the eruption has allowed this ancient city to survive to this day (it is possible to see the plaster casts of some of the victims), making it one of the most visited archaeological parks in ItalyHere are five suggestions for a visit to the Pompeii excavations.
Information for visiting Pompeii
At present, the archaeological park of Pompeii is open with hours summery (April 1st – October 31st) from 9:00 to 19:00 (last admission at 17:30) and with opening hours winter (November 1st – March 31st) from 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission at 15:30). The cost of the full ticket is 22 euros (to visit the city, the suburban villas and the antiquarium) or 18 euros if you intend to visit only the city. You can also buy a 26 euro ticket valid for three days to visit other locations in the “Great Pompeii” (the widespread archaeological park, with the sites of Oplontis, Villa Arianna, Villa San Marco, the Libero d’Orsi Museum and Boscoreale). Naturally, some reductions.
What to visit in Pompeii: 5 tips
Here are 5 things not to miss during a visit to the archaeological site:
1) The Thermopolia
Throughout the city, archaeologists have found at least 89 thermopoliaa kind of “hot table” of antiquityThese were simple places where you could consume food quickly. food And drinks during the day, since for the Romans lunch was not considered an important meal. They were characterized by the presence of a real counter where large vessels were housed jars to contain food or drinks. Some of those present in Pompeii were decorated with lively frescoes.
2) The Amphitheatre
L’amphitheater of Pompeii is one of the best preserved in Italybut it is also one of the oldest that has reached us: was built in 70 BC It had a capacity of 20,000 spectatorsand was designed to also allow the inhabitants of the surrounding areas to attend the gladiatorial games. This is a rather well-known amphitheatre because in 59 AD a happened violent brawl between Pompeii fans and those from nearby Nocera. Following the events, which caused some deaths, the Senate of Rome decreed a plant closure for 10 yearsbut this one came revoked just three years later, in 62 ADbecause the city had been hit by a earthquake.
3) The Temple of Venus
The temple of Venus It was definitely one of the sacred buildings most important in all of Pompeii. The goddess of love was in fact considered the protector of the city, since the time of the first Roman foundation, in the80 BC The temple came damaged more times from frequent earthquakesin particular that of 62 AD, and at the time of the eruption of 79 AD, as in the case of many other Pompeian buildings, the reconstruction works they had not yet been completed.
4) The House of the Faun
This is one of the larger and more opulent homes of the entire city and its original layout dates back to the 2nd century BC The structure had two atria and of two peristyles (courtyards surrounded by colonnaded porticoes). The wealth of the owners can also be intuited from the presence of numerous decorations made with polychrome stones.
Inside the house the famous was found mosaic which depicts Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issuskept today at the National Archaeological Museum of Naplesit’s a bronze statue of a faunwhich gave the house its name.
5): The Villa of Mysteries
The Villa of the Mysteries is a “suburban villa“, or built outside out of the city walls, in the countryside. At the time it was located towards the sea. The complex probably dates back to the 2nd century BCbut appears today in a phase dating back to the beginning of the 1st century BC It owes its name to the parietal pictorial cycle which decorates three of the interior walls, thefresco of the “Mysteries”.
This is one of the wall paintings best preserved from antiquity and depicts some mystery rites tied to the sphere female. The rites are defined as mysterious because only the followers of a specific religious cult knew their content. Whoever had this pictorial cycle created was most likely a devotee of some mysterious cult linked to Bacchusgod of wine.
