Pompeii and Herculaneum
Back To Sorrento
On
24th August AD79 Vesuvius had been belching smoke and debris fro several days.
Early that morning, however, its basalt plug collapsed unleashing the full force
of the volcano. A huge cloud blotted out the sun, raining dust, stone and lava
onto the surrounding countryside. Pompeii was buried within hours by a
pyroplastic flow, killing large numbers of its inhabitants. That evening the
volcano's internal walls disintegrated, Herculaneum was engulfed at this point
by a flood of super heated mud.
The
site at Pompeii is huge and even spending a day here leaves many stones
unturned. Some houses are little more than foundations, although some. like the
House of Venus, still have beautiful frescoes on their walls. There is a theatre
and an amphitheatre and lots more to explore. Visit one of the 'Houses of
Ill-Repute', to see the explicit frescoes there!!
Herculaneum
lies towards the sea from Vesuvius. On the whole it is better preserved than
Pompeii, though there are fewer impressive civic buildings. Both sites are in
need of protection from the elements and tourists to preserve what is left for
posterity. There is still a great deal to excavate at both sites.
