The Best of Pompeii - Unveiling the Buried City

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Few places send shivers up your spine like Pompeii. The thriving Roman city met its fate in 79 A.D., when the looming mountain in the distance (surprise… a volcano!) erupted. The ash from Mt. Vesuvius buried the bustling town… along with many of its inhabitants. For hundreds of years, the city would remain hidden beneath the earth, not to be rediscovered until the 18th century. 

That disaster created a miracle for modern-day visitors: The volcanic ash preserved intact Pompeii’s buildings, streets, mosaics, and frescoes. That means that Pompeii today is a site unlike any other in Italy. When someone refers to Pompeii as “ruins,” don’t believe them. Pompeii is, instead, a complete ancient city that you can explore… just as if you were walking through it 2,000 years ago.

So there may be no better place in Italy to experience life as an ancient Roman than Pompeii. But, after having had many of our clients visit this site, as well as exploring it countless times on our own, we have a couple of warnings! First, clients tell us all the time that they didn’t expect Pompeii to be so huge. There’s also very little help for the brave visitor who takes Pompeii on without a guide; signs are old, many are hard to read, and the information on them tends to be cursory and dull. Finally, things in Pompeii are constantly changing. Popular villas and buildings are often closed and re-opened, without announcement, for reasons of preservation or understaffing.

Our walk of Pompeii is unlike any other company’s! You’ll see all of the most popular sites, including the House of the Tragic Poet, with its famous “Cave Canum” (“Beware of the Dog”) mosaic, and the Roman Forum, with its beautiful Basilica and Temple of Apollo. And that’s not to forget the plaster casts of those killed in the eruption, the eerie and moving glimpses of what it must have been like to experience Armageddon.

Furthermore, we’ll take you off the beaten path, away from the crowds and towards some of the most exciting sites that Pompeii has to offer. You’ll visit the cemetery, a tranquil space with the proud monuments and memorials to some of Pompeii’s most illustrious citizens. At the suburban baths, see where Pompeiians washed, relaxed and gossiped—and, next door at the brothel, relieved needs of a different kind. We reserve special access to this bath and brothel complex, usually closed to the general public, in order to ensure a much more...intimate visit, as the Pompeiians would have experienced it!

The real treat of the tour, though, is the House of Mysteries. It’s Pompeii’s most lavish and beautiful villa—but, again, hardly anyone goes! Don’t miss out on this fascinating house from the 2nd century B.C., which still boasts incredibly well-preserved, colorful frescoes, including the highly controversial painting of what is thought to be a girl’s initiation into marital life.

Get the most out of your experience, and see the best Pompeii has to offer, with your entertaining, expert Walks of Italy guide!