What are Pompeii and Herculaneum and why you should visit them?
- At the time of the dramatic eruption, Pompeii counted about 11.000 inhabitants, while Herculaneum had a population of some 5.000 people. A number of emperors and aristocrats had their holiday villas in these cities.
- One day, in 79 AD, several meters of ashes buried the whole area in a matter of a few hours. Centuries later, in 1748, under the Bourbons government, excavation works started. The discovery was greeted with enthusiasm as it added great wealth to the kingdom and inspired the neoclassicism movement in Europe.
- Nowadays, the ruins of Pompeii are amongst the most visited archaeological sites in the world, while Herculaneum is renewed for its Villa dei Papiri containing a library of over 1800 papyruses.
Included in this tour there is a stop to a Cameos and Corals workshop, to learn more about this ancient art-craft, for which the Neapolitan school is still considered of great importance. Cameos, in particular, are carved sea shells representing scenes of mythological deities.
Lunch break to a local restaurant with a 3-course tourist menu, (drinks not included).
Please note: The tour manager will meet you by the nearest pick-up point to your accommodation between 08:00 and 09:00 am and this tour will last approximately 8 hours in total. Check our full list of complimentary scheduled pickup points, or provide us your lodging address and we will arrange it for you.