'''Pompeii''' is in Campania.
Understand
Where is Pompeii? Pompeii is in the Italian region of Campania, near Naples. Pompeii is close to the Bay of Naples. Other places in the area to visit are Capri and Sorrento.
Romans took control of Pompeii around 200 BC. On August 24, 79 AD, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, buried the nearby town Pompeii in ash and soot, killing 2000 people, and preserving the city in its state from that fateful day. '''Pompeii''' is an excavation site and outdoor museum of the ancient Roman settlement. This site is considered to be one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in detail - everything from jars and tables to paintings and people were frozen in time, yielding an unprecedented opportunity to see how the people lived two thousand years ago.
Get in
'''By Train''' On the Circumvesuviana Napoli-Sorrento line it takes 30 to 40 minutes to get to Pompeii from either Naples or Sorrento. Click on the station where you want to get the train in this timetable[http://www.vesuviana.it/Reteeorari/Ferrovia/Orario/LineaNapoliSorrento]. It should cost ?1,80 to ?3,20. Get off at "Pompei Scavi". At the station, you can check your bags for ?1,50, pick up by 7:00 in summer, 6:00 October to February, or instead, check it for free at the ruins (pick up by 7:20). The entrance to Pompeii is about 50m away from the station. Farther down the street is a Tourist Information office. Note that if you get off at "Pompei Sanctuario," instead of "Pompei Scavi," the walk through town is not very far. you get pretty tired but its worth it.
'''By Bus''' SITA runs buses from Naples. The cost is the same as the train.
'''By Cruise''' If you are taking a cruise, you can set up an excursion to explore the. A bus is how you will get to the ruins. The cruise will set up the tickets and tour for you. From the cruise boat a water shuttle ( Hydro Foil) can take you around the Bay of Naples to the other sites like Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii during your stops at Naples, Italy. This water shuttle will take to you to the bus to the ruins. There are many breathe taking sites to see.
'''Tickets''' are ?11 per adult (no reductions, unless you are under 26 AND an EU citizen [proof of citizenship required, such as valid passport/driving license]). ?20 five sight pass (including Pompeii and Herculaneum available, valid for 3 days). Site can be free or 50% off with Campaina ArteCard, for more info go to [http://www.artecard.it]. Site is open daily 8:30-7:30, November to March 8:30-5:00. Telephone: 081-857-5347. Ticket office stops selling tickets 90 minutes before closing
For '''transport tickets''' read about the unified public transport ticket Campania Unico
Get around
This is a walking site only. Note that the old roman stone roads can be quite exhausting to walk, especially in the heat of summer with loads of fellow tourists about. Everyone will be walking on cobblestones and uneven ground. The temperature is between 70 and 80_fs in the summer. Make sure to take plenty of water and watch your step as the old roads have grooves in them where the carts ran. It is advisable to wear good footwear, sunscreen and hats. There is a lot to look at and it will probably take all day to see everything, so plan a day trip. Bring a camera to get great pictures of the city.
See
Pompeii is a great place to go, rich in historical value.
'''House of the Vetii''' Rich merchants home
'''House of the Fawn''' Another large house
'''Forum''' The Public marketplace
'''Theater''' Theater built in the hollow of a hill for acoustics, seated 5,000
'''Via dei Sepolcri''' Long street with worn ruts from carts
'''Lupanar''' An ancient brothel with pornographic frescoes
'''The Temple of Vaspain''' An altar at the center
'''The Basilica '''The most important building and served as the court house
'''Storage'''Artifacts like pots and people who did not escape the eruption
Take notice when walking around
'''Ground''' You will see in the ground there are small tiles called cateyes. The moon_fs light or candle light reflects off these tiles and gave light, so people could see where they were walking at night.
'''Bars and Bakeries''' You will walk pass where their bars and bakeries once existed. The bars had counters with three to four holes in them. They have water or other beverages available in the holes. The bakeries_f ovens look similar to the old brick stone oven.
'''Street''' There are tracks for the carriages in the street for a smoother ride. There are also stone blocks in the street for pedestrians to step onto to cross the street. The sidewalks are higher than the modern sidewalk because the streets had water and waste flowing through them. The stone blocks in the street were also as high as the sidewalk, so people did not walk in the waste and water. The stone blocks were also used for what we now call speed bumps. When the carriages were going through the city, they were going fast. To avoid people from getting splashed by the water and waste they had stone blocks in the street. This would make the driver slow down when they were speeding, so they could get through the blocks.
Outside of the city walls:
'''Villa dei Misteri''' ('''Villa of the Mysteries''') A house with curious frescoes, perhaps of women being initiated into the Cult of Dionysus. Contains one of the finest fresco cycles in Italy, as well as humorous ancient graffiti.
'''Cameo Factory''' Here is a cameo factory-where you can buy handcraft jewelry and souvenirs
Do
Visit also the National Museum in Naples where most of the best preserved mosaics and found items from Pompeii are kept.
Visit also the sister site Herculaneum, which is only one Circumvesuviana stop apart and suffered a similar fate to Pompeii. Though it is a smaller site it was covered by a pyroclastic surge (instead of the ash and lapilli that covered Pompeii). This allowed some second storeys to survive.
Have a look at random villas, as sometimes even small side rooms have amazing frescoes (wall paintings).
Don't miss the "Garden of the Fugitives" at the south-east side where plaster casts of several victims (sadly, including children) are on display where they originally fell The plants in this garden have been reconstructed to match ancient growth, based on the study of plaster casts of plant roots.
Walk outside the City Gates to the Villa of the Mysteries, one of the greatest houses to come down to us from the ancient world. Even on a very hot day, it is worth the walk.
Ask one of the Archaeologists working on one of the many sites "Hasn't it all been dug?" (there is still 1/3 of the site unexcavated... and there is always more under the floor!)
Buy
A decent map of the site, or you will get lost in the small roads and need to walk back and forth which is quite exhausting. Free maps and info booklets are given away at the entrance (in several different languages). Visitors need to request them from the Info booth beside the ticket windows.
Interesting plastic "past & present" books sold for ?12 by vendors. Deal with them for an even better price
Audioguides are available for ?6,50, ?10 for two, ID required
Tour guides cluster near the entrance for hire
Buy a tour guide book for ?5, so you can read more about the interesting city history, building and artifacts. There is so much to learn from the Romans and to see how they lived.
Eat
On the way from the station to the official entrance loads of shops try to sell stuff for very expensive prices but the food is not outstanding. Drinks, especially the freshly pressed orange and lemon juices, however, are fantastic especially in the heat, though slightly pricey (? 3.00 for a glass)
You can get a very good panino from some of the stands. The one at the end near the Porta Marina has fantastic ones.
There is a restaurant in the museum area. Not surprisingly, this is rather expensive and not very good. Nonetheless, it is an OK place to take a break and recuperate, particularly with its air conditioning (note that as of May 2009 that food can not be purchased within the site).
Home of the Napoli Pizza! Eat pizza in Naples which is known to be the best pizza made
Drink
Remember to bring enough water to drink as it gets quite hot in the dusty streets. There are water taps and some of them work so remember to keep your empty bottles for refilling.
Lemon and Orange granita bought from outside the site are a tasty way to cool down.
Sleep
Probably the cheapest way to see Pompeii is to stay in Naples or Sorrento and commute to the site via train.
Check out the various hostel websites for cheap cool places to stay.
'''B&B La Corte ''' [http://www.bblacorte.com] Via Cesare Battisti, 30 Sant'Antimo. This aristocratic b&b is in the heart of the historical little town of Sant'Antimo, 10 km. from Naples(Napoli), 15 km.from Caserta and 20 km from Pompei and Herculaneum with the motorway. It was built in the 1600's, it's grouped around a large courtyard paved in stones from Vesuvius. In the middle, a magnificent palm.
Get out
Go by train to Naples
Visit the neighboring site of Herculaneum
Go to the Amalfi Coast
Take a boat from Naples or Sorrento to the island of Capri
Buses leave for Mt. Vesuvius from the site (8/day, every half hour 9:30-10:30 and every hour starting at 11:25, takes 1 hour
Take a bus back to the water shuttle that takes you have to the dock where you cruise ship is waiting
Stay Safe
Keep in mind that Mt Vesuvius is an active volcano and can erupt at any time. Scientists have devised a system to detect impending eruptions, though, so feel free to browse Pompeii's ruins without fear of falling ash and lapilli (pumice)!
Though it's more likely that you should be trying to protect yourself from pickpockets, the site attracts a huge array of international visitors every day, and this money attracts some thieves, so keep your valuables protected, particularly around Naples and the train stations as you normally would when travelling.
Others archeologic sites