Pompeii & Herculaneum: A Tale of Two Cities

Herculaneum is not as large as Pompeii: it can be visited quite thoroughly in about 2 hrs.

The first approach is spectacular: the ancient town sits at the bottom of an archaeological hole about 60 feet deep. From the top, you can see the entire excavated area at once, dominated by the impressive silhouette of Mt. Vesuvius in the background: a stunning view and a great photo opportunity!

At the very bottom lies the marina, where about 300 human skeletons have been discovered with a fossilised boat and some fishing tools.

Crossing a modern bridge, we will start the discovery with the garden of the so-called “House of the Albergo”. Here, quince trees have been replanted, following the evidence of carbonised roots of these popular fruit trees.

Then you will discover the public Bath House (an ancient Spa), still covered with outstanding mosaics. It will introduce you to the world of Roman Daily Care and social life: a gym, a changing room, a tepid room, a hot room, and at last a cold tub.

Our next stop is the Council Hall of the Augustali, where you can admire beautifully preserved frescoes depicting Hercules.

You will visit the House of Neptune and Amphitrite, to see the wonderful mosaics decorating the outdoor ‘biclinium’ (dining room); this was probably the house of a merchant. In fact, it connects to the nearby shop with its food and wine counter, and wooden shelves carbonised, still hanging on the walls!

The House of the Deers, probably a second home to a wealthy Roman trader who lived in Rome, is also a must-see. It permits admiring some lavish mosaics, frescoes, and statues.

Nearby, the Grande Palestra – a large outdoor Gym – is a glorious public sporting place. It remains buried for about three-quarters, but we can move underground into the cross-shaped pool. It feels like being an archaeologist moving under the volcanic couch.

Last but not least, the small, precious museum (Antiquarium) where some finds from the excavations are on display. Highly recommended is the 2nd floor with a unique display of authentic Roman Furniture!

In between the visits, if you wish, we can stop for a light lunch. Or take a longer break at a lovely vineyard on the slopes of Mt Vesuvius within the National Park. Please ask us for recommendations and reservations.

The Pompeii site extends over approximately 160 acres. To make the best of your time, Leisure Italy offers a qualified guided service. Our guided walking tour is tailored to participants’ interests and walking style.

The following is a suggested itinerary for our private guided walking tour. Let us know if there are any special requests!

In Pompeii, you will first admire the city walls, dating back to the pre-roman Pompeii (4/5 centuries BC). One of the best-preserved ancient gates is called Porta Marina. It connected Pompeii with its port, with a path for charts and one for people.

Once in town, you will be walking on the original road made of volcanic stone. You will notice on the ground hundreds of little white spots made of travertine used to reflect torchlight (nowadays “cat’s eye” on the driving roads).

Your attention will be captured by big blocks of basalt emerging from the road: they were stepping stones used by pedestrians to avoid getting wet when it rained; in fact, unlike other Roman towns, Pompeii didn’t have a complete sewer system because the city was built on top of a lava platform that was too hard to work with.

The city centre is called Forum. It hosts all the buildings with a public function: Religion (the Temple of Apollo, the Capitolium and the Temple of the Emperor), Trade (the meat and fish market called Macellum, the textiles market headed by a priestess named Eumachia), Administration (the Basilica) and Politics (Comitia). Other facilities in the Forum included exchange offices, public restrooms and a public scale (tabula mensurae) aimed at comparing and weighing farmers’ products. In the Forum, you may also see a display of the famous human casts.

Close to the Forum were public Bath-Houses where both men and women (in different sections), poor and wealthy, free persons and slaves could access daily hygiene. Pompeii had three such complexes within the city and two others right outside of it. Each Bath-House had the following facilities: a changing room (apodyterium), a tepid room (tepidarium), a hot room (calidarium) and a Gym (Palestra).

You will notice several places fronting the road with large vases built in a masonry counter: this is what the Romans called popinae, today’s inns! These jars were full of food and beverages, and many ancient Pompeians would stop in such places for lunch.

You will recognise some of the Bakeries of Pompeii, with their ovens and grinding machines: incredible but true, some round carbonized loaves of bread were found during the excavations. Remains of ancient food, such as almonds, pine cones, figs, lentils, etc, have been discovered during excavations, but are seldom on display due to preservation reasons.
Upon request, your visit can include the infamous Lupanare (Brothel): it displays Roman frescoes featuring erotic images!

Do not miss the chance to discover Pompeii’s areas for public performances. There is an outdoor Theatre (for comedy and tragedy), an indoor theatre (Odeion, for mimes and declamation of poetry) and an amphitheatre (for games like gladiator fights or game hunting). You shall visit at least one of those places.

On request, the tour can also include the small but wonderful Museum (Antiquarium), featuring finds from the excavations, as well as plaster casts made of the ancient Pompeians.

Pompeii is too big to visit entirely in a day. Leisure Italy will make sure you see the highlights. Our optional guided tour aims to visit an example of each building type. 

After the tour at Pompeii, you could stop for a few minutes for a fresh-squeezed orange juice or to browse the souvenir shops if you wish.

Also available upon request is a stop to one of several cameo factories along the road. It is a still-living ancient Roman tradition consisting of the carving of precious and semi-precious stones and corals.