Pompeii – The Forgotten City
You must have read a lot about the most famous forgotten city of Pompeii, however a trip to today’s Pompeii will be an experience of lifetime for you. Pompeii, the ruined city, is situated at 20km south-east of Naples, Italy. The ruined city is located just in the foothill of Mt Vesuvius, which is still an active volcano, though not erupting.
The ancient city of Pompeii was located in spectacular surroundings having the Gulf of Naples on one side and Mt Vesuvius, on the other. It was a typical Roman town, with lots of activity. However, when the Vesuvius erupted on 79 AD, everything got covered with a 6-7 meters layer of ash and pumice-stone. The volcano continued its eruption for 2 long days and completely charred the hustling bustling city life under the heaps and heaps of ash. For almost 1700 years the city remained buried under the volcanic ash, until it was rediscovered in mid 18th century.
The remaining of the luxurious mansions, houses, markets, streets, baths, temples and theaters will take you to the glorious past days of the dead city. The Antiquarium contains the excavated items from the city and the casts of the human bodies. The Forum is the main square of the city, beside which The Temple of Jupiter is located.
The Stabian Bath is the largest bath, having swimming pools, changing rooms and separate bathing areas for men and women. House of Menander is a well-preserved house, which probably belonged to a rich merchant of the city. The House of Vettii has beautiful paintings and frescoes on the wall. There are many more ruined buildings and structures presenting a clear picture of the Roman traditional city and its inhabitants.
Enthusiast travelers can take a tour to climb Mt Vesuvius. You can reach near the summit by car, from where you have to walk for around 20 min to reach the top of the volcano. On the summit, you will get to see the large sized crater, which is still fuming. You can also notice the variation in lava stones as you walk up to the summit. On top of all, if the weather permits, then you will be able to see a spectacular view of the Bay of Naples and Pompeii.
