Pompeii Top 10

The story of the Sanctuary of Pompeii it’s about a dream that involved million of believers. Bartolo Longo was the fund-raiser for the construction of this Basilica, which rose thanks to the donations that came from all over the world. The works began the 8th May of 1876 under the direction of Antonio Cua, who worked for free to build the Sanctuary.
During the centuries it has been necessary to enlarge the Sanctuary because the original structure wasn’t big enough to contain all the people who came to worship the picture of the Virgin of the Rosary. Nowadays the basilica has the appearances gave it from Monsignor Spirito Maria Chiapetta: it has one nave and two aisles. The two aisles has three altars to each side, and they are connected behind the apse, where there are four chapels. In spite of the works made to enlarge the church the 8th May and the first Sunday of October the Basilica still can’t contain all the believers who come to take part at this important collective prayer.

The forum that you can see in the archaeological site of Pompei was the economical, political and religious centre of the city. It was the place where the political debates and the religious manifestations took place: the heart of the city. Originally, it wasn’t very big, there were just some shops. During the II century BC Pompei’s city dwellers, decided to give the forum a dimension according to its important function. The area was enlarged, the shops were roofed, arcades were realized to allow people walk even if it was raining and there were built important public buildings. The works were completed with the construction of travertine marble road surfacing, which is still visible. Once in the centre of the square you can see the temple of Apollo, the ancient religious structure it’s the most important and ancient in Pompei. The statues of the divinity that decorated the temple were transferred at the Archaeological Museum of Naples.

To visit the archaeological site of Pompeii:
When: from the 1st November to the 31st March, every day from 8,30 am to 5 pm, last entrance at 3,30 pm. From the 1st April to 31 October. Every day from 8,30 am to 7,30 pm, last entrance at 6 pm.
Never: 1st January, 1st May, 25th December
Tickets: 11€, reduced tickets 5,50 €. The ticket which comprehend the visit to the archaeological sites of: Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabia and Boscoreale (which lasts 3 days) costs 20 €, reduced ticket 10 €. Free entrance to UE citizens under 18 years or over 65 years.

The Pompei’s city dwellers were pagans therefore, as all the pagans, they loved the pleasures of the flesh and they didn’t have any problems about showing their passion. Many houses of the ancient town of Pompei had a secret room where the slaves prostituted themselves. It was possible to buy a little company paying from two to eight assi (“assi” were the currency used in Pompei), it was a price affordable almost to everyone, if you consider that a portion of wine cost one asse. The “Lupanare”, so called because “lupa” in Latin means prostitute, it was the only building built in Pompei that had this purpose. It was the brothel of the city. It was composed of two floors, each one reserved to a kind of customers. The ground floor had five bed rooms, a corridor and a bathroom, it was made to the lower classes. The first floor was for the leisured classes: it had a different entrance and a balcony from which they could reach the rooms that were richly furnished. On the walls there are still visible little paintings representing lovers in different erotic positions: perfect for lazy lovers looking for inspiration. At the entrance of the Lupanare it was possible to buy condoms.

The owner of the “House of Faun” must have been one of the most envied personality of the city at that time. The findings of this house made the archaeologist think that it was an enormous villa, with rooms used for different activities. It hasn’t been possible to understand who was the owner of this beautiful house, that’s why it’s called the house of the Faun: the name comes from a little bronze statue representing a dancing faun that was found at the centre of one of the principal room. This house was a sort of modern apartment complex and inside there was a shopping centre too. The structure is composed of two big communicating areas, each one of these has its own entrance and they were connected by shops rented to the merchants. Besides the shops it has also a lot of rooms, but we don’t know if they were private or rented. The structure has been built with very modern construction techniques: for example under the plaster there are applied lead plates to protect the house from dampness. In Rome there weren’t houses so big and imposing as this one, and in Pompei too, where there are other important villas as: the “Villa of the Mysteries”, the “House of Pansa” and the “House of the labyrinth”. All this houses are very important to understand the richness and the valour of the people which lived in Pompei.

The Amphitheatre which is at the end of the street called “via dell’abbondanza”, in the archaeological site of Pompei, is the oldest stone building of this kind. Its construction is dated back in 80 BC while the first amphitheatre in Rome, the Statilio Tauro amphitheatre, is dated back in 29 BC. The originality of this amphitheatre consist in no having underneaths, as the imperial age amphitheatres. In the superior part of the amphitheatre there are some big holes, used to put a covering on the arena to protect the spectators from the sun and from the rain. With this trick the spectacles could take place in every period of the year, without worrying about the seasons. The terraces of the amphitheatre were divided into three orders, one of these was surely reserved to women. This place has been also the background of one of the most emotionalising shows of the history of rock: in 1971 the Pink Floyd, recorded their “Live in Pompei” here, a concert without public, destined to become one of the most memorable moments of the history of music.

The Villa of the Mysteries is a Roman house, situated a little far from the city and from the archaeological site. It hasn’t been possible to understand who was the owner of the house, but some findings make the archaeologists think that it was a patrician house. Someone thinks that the house owner was Livia, wife of the emperor Augustus, because a statue representing her was found among the ruins. The name “Villa of the Mysteries” comes from a series of frescoes discovered in a room of the house and of which the meaning is still unknown. It’s clear that the representation present a young woman initiated into a worship. The debate is on which worship she’s going to begin: the biggest part of archaeologist think that is Dionysus worship, other thinks that is just the description of a woman while she is preparing for her wedding. Whatever are the worship celebrated in the Villa of the Mysteries this images make the visitor feels very awe. The villa has a lot of rooms, every one was furnished with elegance and some of the frescoes on their wall represented dinners and events. This is one of the villas where were found the bodies of people that were run over by the eruption of the Vesuvius.

Pompei has got no more typical food tradition and its food is very similar to Naples one. Restaurants are everywhere but the best ones are near the archaeological site or near the Sanctuary. Before the Vesuvius eruption, Pompeii was a city that produced and exported wine and oil. In the Romans villas were found machines for the olives pressing and to make the wine. Unfortunately, this ancient tradition is lost and the Pompeii gastronomy is based on the satisfaction of the international customers, without exploiting the typical products. In the restaurants near the great attraction points of Pompeii you’ll find people coming from all the world. If you want to eat calmly you’ll have to go very early or to wait the first hours of the afternoon. In Pompeii you’re not going to find dishes or recipes coming from the ancient Rome but you can find very good and cheap touristic menus.

Pompeii is full of hotels, country houses and rent a room, so it’s possible to find solutions suitable for all the wallets. The principal hotels are in the centre of the city: via Lepanto, via Roma and via Piave. The hotels are near from the Archaeological site and from the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Rosary . The cheapest B&B are a little far from the principal monuments but, for people who don’t want to renounce to the proximity to the ruins, it’s possible to find B&B in the centre of the town too. Prices variate from a minimum of 45 € to a maximum of 100 €.

In the city you can find hundreds souvenir shops where you can buy very strange, beautiful and curious souvenirs. You can buy pictures, little statues and postcards representing the Virgin and all the Sacred family, on the stands you can find necklaces, amulets and objects against the bad luck. If you are looking for something of more characteristic don’t forget that Pompeii has a traditional production of the “cameo”. The decoration of this elegant ornaments requires precision and technique: take a look on the stands near the Sanctuary, but remember that quality cameos can be find only in the shops. In the shops of Pompeii you’ll find Roman and Greek objects, you must know that they are reproduction, even if very well done. So if the shopkeeper will try to sell it at astronomical prices, remember that they’re not originals, but just well done imitations!

Pompeii isn’t a city that offers great attractions in the night. Restaurants, bars and pizzerias remained open until late night, but Pompeii isn’t known for its night life. It’s a city where the pilgrims go to worship the Virgin, so in the evening they don’t look for places where spend the night until early morning. If you don’t want to spend your night in your hotel room you must know that Pompeii isn’t very far from Naples and you can go there without big problems if you want to pass an amusing night. In some periods of the year if you stay in Pompeii you can assist at some charming representations that take place in the archaeological site, you’ll see actors reproducing the Pompeii inhabitants way of life. The atmosphere is magical thanks to spectacular light games and to the silence that envelops this place during the night. This is really a thing that you must not miss if you visit Pompeii in the right period.