Description

This tour will take you to the ruins of Herculaneum, the ancient roman city that got buried by the muds and the ashes of the eruption in 79 AD. This was a center for aristocrats and intellectuals of the Empire who mainly had their holiday homes along the seaside nearby the busy city of Naples. You will be stunned by the exquisite designs of mosaics, frescos and decorations still visible to date. Lunch break to a local restaurant with a 3 course tourist menu, drinks not included.

The tour manager will meet you by the nearest pick-up point to your accommodation between 11:00 and 11:45AM (see timetable) and this tour will last approximately 5 hours in total. Check our full list of complimentary scheduled pick up points. The legend tells the founding of Herculaneum by Hercules in 1243 BC, while historians agree it was originated by indigenous people such as the Oscans or the Etruscans. During the Roman Empire it became a resort for wealthy people and intellectuals. Unlike Pompeii, in 79 AD, Herculaneum was buried by 25 meters of mud and other volcanic elements.

This important philosophical center got totally forgotten until 1709, when a farmer unearthed precious marbles during digging works for a well. This event quickly reached the local governors, leading to the first excavations. Among the valuable findings, the Villa dei Papiri is surely the most important one, called after the library which at that time contained up to 1800 papyruses. To date, despite its extension, second only to Pompeii’s, only a small portion of the ancient city has been excavated, so archaeologists are regularly busy with new discoveries.
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