Activity description
Pompeii lay buried under volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the first century until excavations began in the 18th century. See the baths, streets, bakeries, and forums that were once an integral part of daily life. Marvel at the magnificently preserved frescoes that adorned the beautiful Villas.
Visit the ancient city of Pompeii, cradle of the ancient Roman civilization; the itinerary will be:
- The Basilica, with its extension of 1,500 square meters, was the most sumptuous building in the Forum, and its space was used for conducting business and administering justice.
- The Civil Forum is the hub of the city's daily life and is the focal point of all major public buildings for city administration and justice, business management and commercial activities such as markets, as well as the main places of citizen worship.
- The Temple of Jupiter dominates the north side of the Forum, with Mount Vesuvius rising scenically behind. When the colony was founded (80 BC), the temple underwent a radical renovation and became a true Capitoline Hill, with the three cult statues of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, which resembled those on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, placed on a high base to make them visible to passersby in the Forum square.
The Macellum consists of a tuff quadriportico with a cult hall in an elevated position on the east side, aligned with the entrance. In the niches of the side wall are copies of two marble statues, one female and the other armed, along with a fragment of a larger statue, likely belonging to an emperor, Titus or Vespasian, indicating that this area was designated for imperial worship. To the left is a meeting room with a sacred table, and to the right is a large room with a masonry counter, perhaps for selling fish.
- Via dell'Abbondanza was the ancient main street (decumanus maximus) of ancient Pompeii, which crossed the city in an east/west direction, from the Forum to Porta Sarno.
In the past, the street was busy and noisy with many shops, workshops ("officinae"), cafes, snack bars and restaurants for eating and drinking.
- The Forum Baths are located behind the Temple of Jupiter and date back to the years immediately following the founding of the veterans' colony by General Silla (80 BC). The women's and men's quarters had separate entrances. The men's section features an apodyterium (dressing room), also used as a tepidarium (for medium-temperature baths), a frigidarium (for cold baths), and a calidarium (for hot baths). Like many buildings in Pompeii, the baths were heavily damaged during the earthquake of 62 AD.
The House of the Menanders is a great example of a Roman villa belonging to a high-ranking family. It is richly decorated with wonderful frescoes depicting scenes from the Trojan War, and many silver objects and crockery were also found here, now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. The house owes its name to a painting by Menander, an Athenian poet, placed in the portico.
The house belonged to Quintus Poppaeus Sabinus of the Poppei family, relatives of Empress Poppea Sabina, Nero's second wife.
- The Great Theatre of Pompeii was built by the Romans on the side of a hill located in the area; they took advantage of the natural depression of the mountain to create a majestic auditorium divided into 5 sectors.
Tragedies from Greco-Roman traditions were performed on stage.
Notes:
IMPORTANT: From November 1st, only in English
Please wear comfortable shoes. This tour is not recommended for people with back problems or limited mobility. The program is subject to change due to weather conditions or force majeure (road closures, public events). If it is not possible to make some stops or visits mentioned in the program, the guide may slightly alter the itinerary.
