AP9 - Pompeii, Herculaneum & Vesuvius

Pompeii is an ancient Roman city destroyed and buried by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The remainder of the uncovered city is today buried under the new Pompeii rebuilt many years after the eruption. Archeological excavations are open to the public between the hours of 09:00 and 6:00 every day of the week, guides can be hired at the entrance or headphones can be rented, voicing explanations of the sites.

Herculaneum is an ancient residential town of Greek origin that was destroyed and buried in ashes, along with Pompeii, by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in 79 A.D and offers a variety of beautiful scenery and invaluable artifacts. Excavations began by accident in 1709 when some workers were digging a well discovered a wall which was later found to be one of the stages of the ancient theatre. The ruins can be visited at a cost of Euro 10,00 per person, but please note that since both Pompeii and Herculaneum are popular areas for tourists, we strongly recommend keeping track of your belongings.

Thousands of prosperous citizens would have sought comfort in the majesty of Mount Vesuvius and regarded it as nothing less than a gift from the gods. In those days of abundant plenty, no Neapolitan would have anticipated the hidden threat of their beloved mountain that erupted violently during the morning of August 24, AD 79, unceremoniously removing all surrounding cities within radius of Vesuvius. Since then, Vesuvius has erupted about three dozen times and was thought to be the end of an eruptive cycle that began in 1631, however unpredictably the last eruption of Vesuvius was on 23 November 1980. We will view the crater of Vesuvius, 1281 meters above sea level, by walking for approximately 45 minutes up the steep mount, as the road for vehicles terminates halfway up this climb. Giving way to spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

This tour includes a Professional English-speaking driver. Due to strict Italian laws & regulations that protect officially licensed guides, our drivers can only comment and explain the sights from inside the vehicle and are not allowed to do so once they are outside the vehicle. A guide, where needed, can be hired on request at an extra cost.', 'Comfortable walking shoes are suggested for this tour.