The Wonder and Solemn Feeling of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Pompei, Italy

It’s my third day in Naples and I am off to meet the tour group for a tour that I have been excited about for months. I have a short walk to the train station at Piazza Garibaldi, to meet the guide and the rest of the small group. This is another tour that I booked through Viator.

Today, I am going to be touring the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum; first Herculaneum and then at Pompeii. Yesterday, I toured the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli ( Mann Naples|National Archaeological Museum of Naples (mann-napoli.it) (see their website page for directions: Where we are|Mann Napoli (mann-napoli.it), and because of my guide Luca, ldelvaglio@icloud.com, +39 338 3787399, I acquired a good understanding of the beautiful mosaics unearthed in both Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Now, I will be touring the actual excavation sites (THE TOP Pompeii Tours & Excursions (UPDATED 2024).

As described by Viator, this was a small group tour (about 12) and was led by an Archeologist. In fact, our tour guide explained that he actually worked the Pompeii excavation site several years ago. By the way, the excavation at Pompeii is an active, ongoing archeological dig. Only about 44 of the 66 hectares of the Pompeii urban area have been excavated and are visible. Not all of this area is open to the public. The current focus is on preservation of what has already been excavated. Many feel that the remaining 22 hectares should be left under the volcanic rock and ash in order to preserve the ruins for future generations (see: BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Pompeii: Its Discovery and Preservation). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).