Pompeii - Campania

Pompei is the most popular tourist city in Italy. The eruption of the volcano Vesuvio (Vesuivius) in 79 A.D. buried the city when it was still part of the Roman empire. The volcano, in fact, is still active, but not much of a threat. The ongoing excavations are open to the pubic. Pompei was inhabited by the Greeks and the Samnites before it became a Roman colony. However, it was devastated by an earthquake in 79 A.D. When Vesuvius erupted 16 years later, about 10 percent of the 20,000 inhabitants died. The eruption did hasten the city's decline, and it was abandoned during the Saracen raids and earthquakes that followed. The ruins of the abandoned city weren't discovered until 1594, and the excavation didn't begin until 1748, during the reign of Charles of Bourbon. Work continues today, although many of the famous mosaics and murals that have been recovered have been moved to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. The Museo Vesuviano also has Vesuvian-era artifacts.

Sights
The archaeological excavation sites are constantly packed with tourists and have been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Although it's easy to find the sites, you should buy guidebooks or use an authorized guides. Authorized ones wear ID tags that say Asso, Cast or Gata. Unauthorized guides will usually lack historical knowledge or English skills and may rip you off.

Some of your top priorities here should be the Forum Baths, complete with bodycasts of those who were bathing at the time, and the House of the Vettii, with preserved frescoes. The brothel, known as the Lupenar, is also popular. Pompei also contains the oldest standing amphitheater in the world, which was built in 80 B.C. and held 12,000 spectators at a time.

Some other sights are the Tempio di Apollo, temple remains built by the Samnites in the Doric style. The Tempio di Giove is a similar sight. Porta Marian is the southwestern sea gate, also worth a look. Many remains of theaters are worth seeing, especially the Teatro Grande. The Villa dei Misteri, meanwhile, is one of the most complete structures left standing, and its Dionysiac Frieze is one of the largest paintings from ancient Rome still in existence.

Transporation
There are frequent buses between Naples, Pompei and Salerno, as well as from Rome. You can also take the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrenta (via Pompei) or the Circumvesuviana to Poggiomarino.