{"id":24423,"date":"2025-12-12T12:30:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/?p=24423"},"modified":"2026-01-26T16:05:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T16:05:59","slug":"house-of-the-vettii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii","title":{"rendered":"Pompeii\u2019s House of the Vettii: A Must-See Stop for Art and History Lovers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, the ruins of Pompeii are one of the wonders of the world and one of the biggest attractions in Italy. One of the greatest sites in this entire town of Pompeii is the House of the Vettii, famous because it preserved the structure along with its wall murals, giving historians a rare glimpse into ancient Roman life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re visiting <strong>Pompeii<\/strong> soon, you can look at it on your own and hope you know what you\u2019re looking at. Or you can take a guided tour with an archaeologist, a true scholar of the site, and get a much deeper insight into Pompeii. On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/best-of-pompeii-tour\/\"><strong>a <\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/best-of-pompeii-tour\/\"><strong>small-group tour<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>,<\/strong> you\u2019ll get skip-the-line-access, three hours of insight from a professional archaeologist, and an up-close look at <a href=\"https:\/\/pompeiisites.org\/en\/archaeological-site\/house-of-the-vettii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>the House of the Vettii,<\/strong><\/a> the most remarkable site in Pompeii.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24753\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24753\" class=\"wp-image-24753 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/atrio-vettii-Silvia-Vacca-24-1200x799-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"The preserved walls, piallras and floor of the House of The Vettii in Pompeii, with a sunken bath and mosaics and murals on the walls\n\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/atrio-vettii-Silvia-Vacca-24-1200x799-1-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/atrio-vettii-Silvia-Vacca-24-1200x799-1-1-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-24753\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The House of the Vettii is one of the most well preserved in Pompeii. Photo credit: Silvia-Vacca<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#The_Earthquake_and_the_House_of_the_Vettii\" >The Earthquake and the House of the Vettii<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#4_Amazing_Facts_about_the_House_of_the_Vetti\" >4 Amazing Facts about the House of the Vetti\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#The_Elite_Exodus\" >The Elite Exodus<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#Saint_Priapus\" >Saint Priapus<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#Pleasure_for_the_Servants\" >Pleasure for the Servants<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#A_Pompeii_Blush\" >A Pompeii Blush<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#FAQs_%E2%80%93_The_House_of_Vettii\" >FAQs &#8211; The House of Vettii<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#Why_should_I_take_a_guided_tour\" >Why should I take a guided tour?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#How_long_does_the_tour_last_and_when_does_it_start\" >How long does the tour last and when does it start?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#When_is_the_best_time_to_visit_Pompeii\" >When is the best time to visit Pompeii?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#What_should_you_bring_to_Pompeii\" >What should you bring to Pompeii?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/art-culture\/house-of-the-vettii\/#Can_we_get_lunch_in_Pompeii\" >Can we get lunch in Pompeii?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Earthquake_and_the_House_of_the_Vettii\"><\/span><strong>The Earthquake and the House of the Vettii<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">August 24, 79 AD seemed like a normal day in the city of Pompeii. A few days earlier, inhabitants had felt a few small earthquakes but were unfazed by them. It was nothing like the huge tremor 15 years earlier, the damage of which had still not been fully repaired.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then on that fateful late-August\u00a0 day at 1pm, nearby Mount Vesuvius violently spat a column of super-heated gas, tephra, rock, and ash high up into the heavens\u201421 miles (or 22 kilometers) up in the air, in fact\u2014a rocket of hot earth that scientists now estimate was 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_596\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-596\" class=\"wp-image-596 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude.jpg\" alt=\"a panoramic view of the bay of Naples, with Mount Vesuvius in the background, against a blue sky with shite clouds\" width=\"1000\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-596\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the best views of Italy, the bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By nightfall, there were earthquakes, a tsunami in the Bay of Naples, and towns that had been buried by ash.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pliny the Younger, who had witnessed all of this from nearby Misenum, wrote, \u201c&#8230;broad flames shone out but several places from Mount Vesuvius, which in the darkness of night contributed to render still brighter and clearer.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of those towns buried in ash was Pompeii.\u00a0 And the blast from Vesuvius may have killed around 2,000 people in Pompeii (and 16,000 in total), but for modern historians, it did something else: it preserved a way of life from nearly 2,000 years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8015\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8015\" class=\"wp-image-8015 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pompeii-under-vesuvius.jpg\" alt=\"ruined houses on either side of a street in Pompeii, with a smoking mount vesuvius in the background\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The streets of Pompeii took the brunt of the eruption of lava from Mount Vesuvius.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Amazing_Facts_about_the_House_of_the_Vetti\"><\/span><strong>4 Amazing Facts about the House of the Vetti\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Elite_Exodus\"><\/span>The Elite Exodus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the big earthquake in 62 A.D., 15 years before the Vesuvius eruption, the elites of Pompeii permanently fled the city. Which led to the rise of the nouveau riche in Pompeii. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Vetti brothers\u2014Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva\u2014were excellent examples of this. They went from being slave laborers to wealthy property owners in a short period of time. Historians believe they became rich from being wine merchants and were eventually able to purchase their freedom and become freeborn aristocrats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The house once had fountains, statues, and lush gardens. But it is the vulgar and graphic sexual artwork on the walls of the House of the Vettii that get the most attention. Historians say the murals are evidence of the Vettii brothers\u2019 low-brow tastes as opposed to those born into the aristocracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24749\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24749\" class=\"wp-image-24749 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cupids-in-the-House-of-the-Vettii.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cupids-in-the-House-of-the-Vettii.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cupids-in-the-House-of-the-Vettii-768x525.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-24749\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The wall art and murals within the House are what makes its most intriguing to historians and art lovers alike.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Saint_Priapus\"><\/span>Saint Priapus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After a two-decade-long restoration, the House of the Vettii opened up to the public again in 2023, its wall murals bright and clear, just like that August day in the year 79 before the volcanic eruption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The murals that get the most attention are the phallic images\u2014not just from visitors but also from scholars and historians. They represent the ancient cult of Priapus, the pagan god of fertility (who became Saint Priapus in the Christian era). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to promoting fertility, the giant phallic images of Priapus were also said to be house guardians against evil. On a lighter note, sometimes images of Priapus also acted as amusements for invited guests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24750\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24750\" class=\"wp-image-24750 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-12-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg\" alt=\"An internal view of the ancient wall murals inside the House of the Vettii in Pompeii, in rich red and yellow tones with intricate scenes painted in central panels.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-12-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-12-luigispina-1200x900-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-24750\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It is hard to believe that these colours date back to 79 AD, and are almost 2000 years old. Photo Credit: luigispina<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pleasure_for_the_Servants\"><\/span>Pleasure for the Servants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the servants\u2019 quarters, there are graphic wall murals of people in various poses of sexual intercourse. Archaeologists point out that such graphic imagery was usually reserved for brothels, leading some historians to believe the Vettii brothers were also operating a brothel in their home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, it turns out, this is misleading. Today the consensus is that the Vettii brothers\u2014former slaves themselves\u2014had a sense of humor and perhaps wanted their servants to live among images that would make their lives more pleasurable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24751\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24751\" class=\"wp-image-24751 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-02-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg\" alt=\"an interior wall with panels of art, from inside the House of the Vettii in Pompeii\n\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-02-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-02-luigispina-1200x900-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-24751\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">There are intricate designs all over the walls, which are extremely well preserved. Photo credit: Luigispina<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Pompeii_Blush\"><\/span>A Pompeii Blush<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As if the eruption of Vesuvius wasn\u2019t enough of a threat to Pompeii, in general, and the House of the Vettii, in particular, when the ancient city was first discovered in the late-19th century, Victorian archeologists tried to \u201cpreserve\u201d the wall murals in the House of the Vetti by covering over them with dirt. In reality, they were likely scandalized by the pornographic nature of the murals and wanted nothing to do with them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After all, in the National Archeological Museum in Naples, there existed a \u201csecret cabinet,\u201d or \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gabinetto segreto<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d in the local parlance, where they locked away all the pornographic imagery and objects found in Pompeii.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24752\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24752\" class=\"wp-image-24752 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-35-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg\" alt=\"the house of the vetti gardens and statues\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-35-luigispina-1200x900-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Casa-dei-Vettii-35-luigispina-1200x900-1-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-24752\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The gardens, statues and frescoes depict many phallic images. Photo credit: luigispina<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs_%E2%80%93_The_House_of_Vettii\"><\/span><strong>FAQs &#8211; The House of Vettii<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_should_I_take_a_guided_tour\"><\/span>Why should I take a guided tour?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve come all this way to southern Italy, perhaps bypassing the chaos of Naples, and managed more than a few train connections. Why not make the most of it, by spending three hours strolling around Pompeii with an actual archaeologist? This is a rare opportunity that not a lot of people can boast about. A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/best-of-pompeii-tour\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">small-group tour led by an expert archaeologist<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a souvenir for yourself that you\u2019ll never forget. Plus, you get skip-the-line access, thus avoiding the long queues that occur here every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, if you want a tour of Pompeii, you have to use an official Pompeii tour guide. We\u2019ve hand-selected the very best of the best, so you\u2019re getting the cream of the Pompeii crop in terms of expert local guides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_does_the_tour_last_and_when_does_it_start\"><\/span>How long does the tour last and when does it start?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The small-group guided walking tour lasts three hours. It begins at 10:30am, before the southern Italian sun reaches its zenith in strength.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22701\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22701\" class=\"wp-image-22701 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pompeii.jpg\" alt=\"A woman taking a photo inside an ancient room found in Pompeii.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pompeii.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pompeii-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-22701\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The sheer scale of the city comes alive once you are inside an ancient room in Pompeii.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_is_the_best_time_to_visit_Pompeii\"><\/span>When is the best time to visit Pompeii?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like a lot of Italy, shoulder season is the best, when the weather is warm and the tourists are fewer (than in summer). Shoot for May or September. July and August are the worst because southern Italy can get hot in summer and there is not a lot of shade in Pompeii.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_should_you_bring_to_Pompeii\"><\/span>What should you bring to Pompeii?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Large bags are not allowed inside the ruins, so bring a small day pack. And don\u2019t forget to add some sunblock, water, and a valid photo ID that you\u2019ll need for entrance to the ruins. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_we_get_lunch_in_Pompeii\"><\/span>Can we get lunch in Pompeii?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Food and drink are not allowed inside the excavations to help protect the ancient ruins, mosaics, and frescoes. Eating inside attracts birds and pests, leaves waste that harms fragile surfaces, and generally interferes with preservation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>You can picnic outside the site <em data-start=\"507\" data-end=\"515\">before<\/em> you enter or <em data-start=\"529\" data-end=\"536\">after<\/em> you exit: There are areas near the entrances (especially near Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra). There are also caf\u00e9s and restaurants just outside the archaeological park where you can eat a proper meal or grab coffee, panini, pizza al taglio, or gelato.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11998\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11998\" class=\"wp-image-11998 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Responsible-travel-Italy-tourism-small-group-tour-Pompeii-1.jpg\" alt=\"A group of people keeping cool inside a museum.\" width=\"1100\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Responsible-travel-Italy-tourism-small-group-tour-Pompeii-1.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Responsible-travel-Italy-tourism-small-group-tour-Pompeii-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taking a tour is a great way to discover the rich history of this site, and the historical events surrounding it<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>You won\u2019t just see the House of the Vettii on a visit to Pompeii. You\u2019ll discover a lot more, even though only two-thirds of <a href=\"https:\/\/pompeiisites.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pompeii <\/a>has been excavated. That said, the House of the Vettii is a true highlight. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The way to appreciate Pompeii and the house of Vettii best is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/best-of-pompeii-tour\/\">take a small-group guided tour<\/a> with a seasoned archaeologist who can put everything into a neat historical context. And, did we mention skip-the-line access? That in and of itself is worthy of signing up&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today, the ruins of Pompeii are one of the wonders of the world and one of the biggest attractions in Italy. One of the greatest sites in this entire town of Pompeii is the House of the Vettii, famous because it preserved the structure along with its wall murals, giving historians a rare glimpse into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":12798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[68,238,94],"ppma_author":[181],"class_list":["post-24423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture","tag-art","tag-italian-history","tag-pompeii"],"authors":[{"term_id":181,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"david-farley","display_name":"David Farley","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Farley_AuthorPhoto.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Farley_AuthorPhoto.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"Farley","first_name":"David","job_title":"","description":"David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food &amp; Wine, among other publications. He\u2019s the author of three books, including \u201cAn Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church\u2019s Strangest Relic in Italy\u2019s Oddest Town,\u201d which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley\u2019s online homes at https:\/\/dfarley.com\/index.html and https:\/\/www.tripout.online\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24423"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24754,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24423\/revisions\/24754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24423"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=24423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}