OPERATING FROM 01 APRIL  TILL 31 OCTOBER  – DEPARTURE FROM SORRENTO

 

Operating on the following days: Sunday | Tuesday  | Thursday


-Air Conditioned Coach
-Authorized Guide

Not included:  Optional meals and entrance fees

 

An excursion from Sorrento to Vesuvius and the site of Pompeii is an unforgettable experience. Nowhere in the world can you find an archaeological site that is comparable to Pompeii in any aspect. Even its size is unique, as the ancient city hit by the earthquake of 79AD was large, containing more than 10,000 inhabitants (which was averagely-large for the time) and the urban structure still remains intact. As Goethe said (a little cynically), the catastrophe that struck the city was a great fortune for future generations.

The greatest pleasure of visiting Pompeii comes not from seeing the beautiful monuments (and there are several) or from admiring the numerous works of art, but from seeing a city from two thousand years ago and being able to catch glimpses of what daily life was like in the ancient world. During your excursion you will be able to visit the various types of houses in Pompeii and discover how the citizens of the Roman Empire lived. Houses were centred around a large atrium for enjoying the fresh air and light, which was surrounded by rooms, whose size and decoration depended on the wealth of the owner. In Pompeii you can visit the wonders of the House of Faun, or the Villa of the Mysteries, which are full of frescoes, adorned with mosaics and statues, and are both sumptuous and comfortable.

Beyond the houses you can discover the areas of Pompeii that were dedicated to leisure, from the theatre, where comedies, tragedies, farces and mimes were performed, to the amphitheatre, where the gladiatorial games took place. You can also see the workshops, complete with a counter and spaces to display items for sale, all still easily recognisable.

Then there’s the forum, the hub of public life in the city, with the Temple of Jove, the Macellum (the indoor market) and the basilica, where legal trials took place. Looming over Pompeii is Mount Vesuvius, beautiful and majestic, seemingly placid but in fact the source of terrible devastation. The journey up this active volcano offers spectacular views over the entire Gulf of Naples, with an extraordinary panorama that reaches from Capri on one side to the islands of Ischia and Procida on the other, with views of the city of Naples stretched out along the coast and of the Sorrento peninsula. You can climb as far as the observatory (which is constantly monitoring the volcano’s activity) at nearly 2000ft, before taking the chairlift back down, from which you can enjoy the views at their best.