Herculaneum

The archaeological digs at Herculaneum along the east end of Italy’s Bay of Naples, literally sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which on Aug. 24, A.D. 79, erupted and sent hot gas, rock and ash down on the city, destroying those who lived there but preserving the site for history.

Mt. Vesuvius


 In the middle of the night a shower of burning cinders and rock fragments covered Pompeii. It lasted until the next day, caving in roofs and claiming its first victims. The Pompeians tried to take shelter in the houses or hoped to escape by walking on top of the layers of pumice stones constantly being formed, which by this point were more than 2 meters deep. But at dawn on August 25, a violent explosion of toxic gases and burning cinders devastated the city.

The ruins of Herculaneum below with the modern city of Ercolano above. Herculaneum was a resort for wealthy Romans and is said to be better preserved than the ruins in Pompeii.




Before the eruption, the city could be seen from approaching ships. They were greeted by this statue. Archaeologists were able to piece him back together.

You walk up and down old cobblestone streets within this site. You can enter what used to be old stores, homes of the very wealthy, auditoriums, bath houses and changing rooms. Many of the buildings still have small plaques with roman numerals on them signifying an address or building number. There is still artwork on some of the walls that withstood the eruption as well as very elaborate mosaic floors that look almost brand new.

This area was once a restaurant that had a view of the ocean. The city sunk after the volcano's eruption and with all the build up of rock you can't see the water from there anymore.

The sunken city

This was a pretty interesting day trip. We were also able to see some cool stuff on the drive over and we got the chance to test my husband's driving skills on little Italian streets in big American SUV. Quite the adventure!