Pompei

Pompei is an excavation site in Campania covering 66 hectares and includes streets, buildings and private houses buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 CE. The site lies southeast of Naples at the foot of the volcano and shows the layout of an ancient Roman town with its forum, amphitheater and public spaces.

The settlement was founded in the sixth century BCE by the Oscans and changed hands several times before becoming a Roman colony in the first century BCE. The volcano buried it in 79 CE under meters of ash and pumice.

The ruins reveal homes, bathhouses and temples that speak of daily life in a Roman provincial town. Visitors walk past wall frescoes and floor mosaics that reflect the taste and habits of the people who lived there.

The grounds are extensive and a full visit requires several hours of walking on uneven paths. Visitors should wear solid footwear and carry enough water because shade is limited.

The ash preserved wooden furniture, textiles and even food such as loaves of bread still sitting in the ovens. Plaster casts of voids also show the final moments of the inhabitants frozen in their positions.

Location: Metropolitan City of Naples

Inception: 1891

Capital city: Pompei

Elevation above the sea: 14 m

Shares border with: Boscoreale, Castellammare di Stabia, Sant'Antonio Abate, Santa Maria la Carità, Scafati, Torre Annunziata

Address: 80045 Pompei, Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy

Website: http://comune.pompei.na.it

GPS coordinates: 40.75000,14.50000

Latest update: December 15, 2025 00:45