How to Explore the Ruins of Pompeii

On a summer morning in the year 79 AD, the ash from the erruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the bustling city of Pompeii. The volcanic explosion took the lives of the city's 10,000 residents. The ruins take visitors back 2000 years to experience how people lived, worked, played and died. A visit to the excavated ruins, a short excursion from Naples, can be a memorable part of any trip to Italy.

Instructions

1. Book a tour from Naples or go on your own, via public transportation: Take the Circumvesuviana from Naples' Stazione Circumvesuviana on Corso Garibaldi, to the right of Piazza Garibaldi. Be sure to take the Sorrento train (not the Poggiomarino line, which goes to the city of Pompeii) and get off at the Pompeii Scavi stop. From there it is a short and well-marked walk to the ruins.

2. Allow a full day for a visit. Wear comfortable shoes and bring sunscreen and a hat (there aren't any trees), and by all means, bring a camera. Be prepared for an uphill walk from the entrance to the ruins.

3. Buy your ticket at the ticket office where you can get a map and a guide book, and if you wish, you can also ask for an official guide who can get you into areas that may be blocked off to other visitors. If you choose to go on your own without a guide, be sure to buy one of the handsomely illustrated guidebooks and read along as you walk, so you know what you are looking at.

4. Study the guidebook before you start. It shows three different routes-a two hour walk, a full day walk, and panoramic views. Although they look like long walks on the map, the routes are full of interest along the way.

5. Be sure to see the "bodies" of several individuals tragically buried in the ruins, in "The Garden of the Fugitives." The volcanic ash hardened and the buried bodies decomposed, leaving hollows in the ash in the shape of the bodies. Archeologists poured liquid plaster into the hollows, recreating the people at the moment of their deaths. Sadly, you can see adults trying to protect their young children while attempting to flee.

6. Follow the map to The Imperial Villa, the Suburban Baths, the Temple of Venus, the Temple of Apollo, the Basilica, the Forum, The Terme Staviani (baths) and the complex of Municipal Buildings. See the campaign slogans like "O V F" ("Please vote for him"). Visit the temples of Vespasian and Jupiter, and be sure to stop by the brothel (The Lupanar) with its uncomfortable-looking stone beds and illustrations of the specialties of the prostitutes. At the far end of the site is the huge, well-preserved amphitheater.

7. Pick up some souvenirs as you leave. You can find a wealth of photos of the art work recovered from the ruins, including erotica colorfully reproduced on postcards, although those should probably be carried home, rather than posted through the mail.