One Day Pompeii Guided Tour

The idea of visiting Pompeii came from the same place that most of my travel inspiration comes from, (documentaries, movies, TV shows, and other travel bloggers). With a Pompeii day trip in the forefront, I planned part of September’s 2016 Euro trip in and around Italy which included my return to Rome with What To Do In Rome In 2 Days and my 96 Hour Naples Itinerary. In addition, I planned to spend time in Catania and Syracuse on the island of Italy’s Sicily and Valletta on the island of Malta. Yes, as you probably guessed, Sicily was inspired by The Godfather and Malta by the Game Of Thrones.

But I digress.

Back to my one day, Pompeii guided tour and the reason why the city of Pompeii has remained one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy.

Until its discovery in the mid-1700s, the unbelievable history of this city had been buried and sealed under more than 60 feet of ash and pumice. And although much of the city’s collections were ruined by the nearby volcano, a significant number of artifacts had been saved and preserved. This catapulted the (newly) found city into one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions which draw in about 2 million people yearly.

Getting to Pompeii from Naples

My Pompeii Guided Tour

Planning ahead is the best possible way to get the most out of a one day visit to Pompeii from Naples. This meant getting up a little bit earlier than usual (which I hate).

Damn those endless limoncello shots I kept putting back the night before in Naples, probably wasn’t the best idea. 

Luckily, the ancient Roman city is close by and the journey from Naples to Pompeii is about 25 minutes by car and about 40 minutes by train. Naturally, I took an inexpensive train roundtrip from Napoli Centrale Station to Pompei Scavi Station or the Pompei Station. The Pompeii station you arrive at depends on your departure time and which train you end up boarding (the Circumvesuviana train or the Trenitalia train respectively).

Pompeii is too big, and if you’re there in September like me, too hot to be wandering around aimlessly.

Pompeii was once a striving city which in essence, makes it a large “open-air” museum. Exploring it by yourself as a Pompeii guided tour is going to require the entire day. And if you’re really into this archeology stuff maybe even two. 

The freakiest display of human suffering frozen in time

That being said, what is interesting, just in front of the East entrance is the glass display containing plaster casts of the peoples final moments just as themselves and everything they knew was covered in ash and pumice. Archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli developed a technique that allowed him to retrieve the shape of the human body that once filled the empty cavity in the layers of ash by injecting plaster. The voids acted as a mold, and the end product was a plaster cast that recreated the shape of the victims thus presenting a vivid image of the anguishing last moments of the souls buried in the volcanic debris. Absolutely fascinating, disturbing and depressing all at the same time.

Historically, Pompeii was established as an important port town-city, in the Campania region of Italy which was ruled by the Roman empire. Researchers believe that the town was founded in the 7th or 6th century BC and at that time, the town was generally occupied by sailors and featured some public facilities such as brothels, taverns, public baths, bars, and hotels.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 it destroyed Pompeii, the neighboring city-town Herculaneum and many villas in the area, burying it and its people under 4 to 6 meters of volcanic ash and pumice. Pompeii population at the time was estimated at about 11,000 people which makes the once thriving city a vast archaeological site. As a matter of fact, despite the large excavation that has already been done, many sites are still yet to be accessible.

Amphitheatre of Pompeii

The Amphitheatre of Pompeii was built around 70 BC and is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater. It was originally built to hold about 20,000 spectators in 70 A.D.

Villa di Giulia Felice

The House of Julia Felix is a grand Roman villa that took up an entire block. Julia Felix was a very wealthy property owner who inherited her money from her family.

Palestra Grande

The Great Gymnasium was built at the end of the 1st century BC. Inside the grand gym, skeletons were also discovered many with personal items including gold, silver, bronze, jewelry, etc…

Teatro Piccolo – Odeon

The Odeon was a smaller roofed theatre that sat 1500 spectators and was built in 80 BC.

Quadriportico Dei teatri o Caserma dei Gladiatori

The Quadriportic of Theaters, also called the Gladiator’s Barracks, was a leisure area or shelter from the rain for the spectators of the nearby great and small theatres. Following the 62nd Pompeii earthquake, it was completely restored, expanded and changed its function into a school for gladiators.

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If your really into the ancient ruins a good friend of mine and Toronto Native Kasia from Amongst Roman made this this Ultimate Guide To Ancient Sites And Roman Ruins In Italy. Check It Out!