A Guide to Pompei

Pompei can be considered as one of the most fascinating settlements in the world, having first been a human settlement in the seventh century B.C. The location of Pompei made it a strategic commercial center for the Etruscan and Greek populations. But the event that has left Pompei so well known to us today is the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius on August 29th of 79 A.D., when the town was completely buried along with the nearby towns Herculaneum and Stabia. The town lay hidden until it was discovered almost by accident whilst the architect Domencio Fontana was building a trench in 1594.

However excavations didn’t begin until 1748 with Carlo di Bordone. Further large scale excavations took place in 1924 and 1961. The haunting story of Pompei is captured in the archeological site itself as well as the Amphitheatre, the House of Vettii, the House of Faun, the House of the Silver Wedding, the House of Menander, the Sanctuary of Pompei, the Basilica, the Museum of the Papal Sanctuary of Pompei, the Vesuvian Museum G.B. Alfano, the Temple of Apollo and the Villa of the Mysteries.