Garden of Fugitives, Pompei

The Garden of Fugitives is one of Pompeii’s most haunting places, set in what was once a cultivated area near the city’s Nocera Gate. Pompeii is filled with evidence of daily Roman life, but this quiet corner brings visitors face to face with the disaster that ended it. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it sent a deadly cloud of ash, pumice, and volcanic material high into the sky, burying the city and killing many of those who could not escape.

During excavations in 1961, archaeologists discovered that decomposed bodies had left hollow spaces in the hardened ash. By pouring plaster into these voids, they were able to recreate the final positions of people and animals caught in the eruption. In the Garden of Fugitives, thirteen victims were found, including adults and children, apparently fleeing toward the city’s edge when they were overcome.

The casts are displayed close to where the bodies were discovered: a woman appears to be holding a child, while others seem to be shielding themselves in vain. The surrounding garden setting also reminds visitors that Pompeii was not only a city of grand villas, temples, and public buildings, but also of vineyards, orchards, and everyday labour.