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.
Buried Alive!
Sealed under more than 60 feet of ash and pumice.
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.
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see all my latest videos!
A day in Pompeii archaeological sites
Pompeii and Herculaneum
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.
Crazy right.I think the best way to view the city is to walk through the partly excavated but preserved streets which are organized with a grid street plan as most Roman-built cities. You really get a sense of going back in time.
Are you not entertained?
Here are some of my highlights:
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 Grande
The Large Theatre was built into a natural hill in the second century BC. This theatre sat roughly 4,000 spectators.
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.
Foro
This area, for example, The Roman Forum would have been Pompeii’s public square, reserved primarily for the vending of goods; a marketplace – The Roman Form: this place served as the main piazza of ancient Pompeii. Just so you know, this place was designed in such a way that anyone who is on the stage can be heard from any location. There is literally no need for microphones because it has good acoustic.
I love these broken statues here in #pompeii
Size matters…
Pin Me
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!
Disclaimer:
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase a product, I may earn a commission. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. Please remember that I never recommend a product just for the commission — I only recommend something I genuinely believe in, trust and/or use personally. The small income I make here will help in maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!
those plaster casts look too real, for a second I thought they were real victim! So heart broken to see that because I really can’t imagine what those people had been through at that moment. I’ve been to Rome unfortunately I have yet to make it to Pompeii. And reading this post makes me want to explore it even more. Thanks for sharing the informations and amazing pictures 😀
those plaster casts look too real, for a second I thought they were real victim! So heart broken to see that because I really can’t imagine what those people had been through at that moment. I’ve been to Rome unfortunately I have yet to make it to Pompeii. And reading this post makes me want to explore it even more. Thanks for sharing the informations and amazing pictures 😀
For quite sometimes I have been very intrigued by Pompeii and while I could not visit it the last time, I have practically devoured every possible write up on it. Your post adds a lot more light to some of the things I wanted to see like how there are those frozen moments. I feel sad but curious about them and I really want to get down here to see it all for myself. Well captured.
What a beautiful guide to Pompeii. I usually only see the castes of the people. I’ve never seen all of the statues that remain. Those looks so incredible. That theater looks huge as well! I missed Pompeii the last time I was in Italy, but I won’t miss it the next time.
I remember my visit to Pompei and how overwhelming it is in size and what to see, it definitely takes all day or longer depending on your interest in the history of this place.
I adore Pompeii – I visited last year, and by the looks of your pictures it must have been around the same time as they art sculptures which are temporary were there?! My favourite was the huge amphitheatre and the baths – it’s such an incredible place I’d definitely go again.
For quite sometimes I have been very intrigued by Pompeii and while I could not visit it the last time, I have practically devoured every possible write up on it. Your post adds a lot more light to some of the things I wanted to see like how there are those frozen moments. I feel sad but curious about them and I really want to get down here to see it all for myself. Well captured.
What a beautiful guide to Pompeii. I usually only see the castes of the people. I’ve never seen all of the statues that remain. Those looks so incredible. That theater looks huge as well! I missed Pompeii the last time I was in Italy, but I won’t miss it the next time.
I remember my visit to Pompei and how overwhelming it is in size and what to see, it definitely takes all day or longer depending on your interest in the history of this place.
I adore Pompeii – I visited last year, and by the looks of your pictures it must have been around the same time as they art sculptures which are temporary were there?! My favourite was the huge amphitheatre and the baths – it’s such an incredible place I’d definitely go again.
Although I can see why it’s one of the most visit attractions in Italy, I just did not enjoy Pompeii as much as I hoped I would. It might be as we just went in without having a guide, I found very few signs and information along the way. So thanks for this post, if I ever visit again, I’ll definitely consider a tour to spice my visit up a little bit.
Although I can see why it’s one of the most visit attractions in Italy, I just did not enjoy Pompeii as much as I hoped I would. It might be as we just went in without having a guide, I found very few signs and information along the way. So thanks for this post, if I ever visit again, I’ll definitely consider a tour to spice my visit up a little bit.
I visited Pompeii as a 13 year old and took it all in my stride. I’d love to return and see it as an adult. It is so much more complete than it remember.
We visited in the height of summer and it was scorching! Our tour guide kept trying to find any tiny bit of shade lol.
I visited Pompeii as a 13 year old and took it all in my stride. I’d love to return and see it as an adult. It is so much more complete than it remember.
We visited in the height of summer and it was scorching! Our tour guide kept trying to find any tiny bit of shade lol.