Pompeii, Ercolano, and Oplontis

The Great Theatre The horseshoe-shaped Great Theatre was built during the Samnite period. © Turismo Campania

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Buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the buildings, homes, and daily lives of the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii, Ercolano, and Oplontis have remained frozen in time, unchanged for 2,000 years. Ercolano was flooded by a river of lava 25m thick, which managed to preserve all of its material objects, including fabrics, food, and wood, albeit in a different form. The most exciting discovery made during the excavations was probably the Villa of the Papyri, whose marble and bronze sculptures are today exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. More than 1,800 scrolls of papyrus containing philosophical writings were also found here, and are now kept in the National Museum of Naples. Pompeii, in contrast, was buried under a layer of ash and lapilli. Most of the inhabitants, who left the city, died along the coast. The few who stayed hoped to survive by taking refuge in underground cellars but died of suffocation. By injecting plaster into the cavities left by bodies that had been reduced to cinder, it was possible to reproduce the dying figures of these men and women who lived almost 2 thousand years ago. A walk through the streets of Pompeii feels almost like travelling back in time. This city, which was buried under the eruption but miraculously remained almost completely intact when it was rediscovered, still displays not only the most important public buildings of city life, which is usually the case, but also the humble shacks of ordinary people. Similarly, near the Forum, Temple of Apollo, and the thermal baths, you will find the butcher's, the shops, and the taverns. The third Roman city buried by the raging volcano was Oplontis. Here, a villa was found that probably belonged to Poppaea, the second wife of the Roman emperor Nero. Inside, the ancient building boasts sculptures and wonderful frescoes.