Mount Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is currently no active. Mount Vesuvius is on the coast of the Bay of Naples, Italy, about nine kilometres (six miles) east of Naples.

Pompeii is a ghost town near modern Naples, which was destroyed, and completely buried, during catastrophic eruption of the Vesuvius in AD 79. After rediscovery, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of the Roman Empire city. Pompeii is now a great place to walk on its streets and "must see": Forum, two Theatres, the Basilica, the House of Faun, the Temple of Vespasian, an aristocratic House of the Vettii, an ancient villas and rich merchants houses with fine mosaics and wall paintings, an ancient brothel with pornographic frescoes, the public latrine, baths, bars and bakeries, maze of streets, remains of municipal buildings, gymnasium, and... the "Garden of the Fugitives" at the south-east side where plaster casts of several victims are on display where they originally fell.

To enjoy the trip of a lifetime, we strongly recommend to arrange at minimum:

1. all day long devoted for Pompeii,

2. another day: trip to the summit and crater of Vesuvius and after that visit smaller, the sister site Herculaneum, which suffered a similar fate to Pompeii,

3. the following day: visit the National Archeological Museum in Naples where most of the best preserved mosaics and found masterpieces, jewellery and other, over 3000 items from Pompeii are kept.  

photo: Stratus MG