The Excavations (Scavi)

Frommer's Review

In Roman times, Pompeii was an important industrial and commercial town, with a complex layered society, which is reflected in the urban structures on view today. Besides elegant villas belonging to the richer citizens, there were blocks of more modest housing, as well as many shops, restaurants, hotels, and public buildings. The eruption covered Pompeii with volcanic ash and pumice stone, a much lighter material than in Herculaneum; therefore, the survivors of the disaster were able to retrieve some of their possessions, leaving less behind than in other locations. This also made it easier for the site to be excavated -- and, unfortunately looted -- in more recent centuries. You will recognize the different excavation styles: In the 19th and early 20th century, precious mosaics and frescoes were carefully detached and placed on display in museums; the contemporary approach is to leave everything in situ to depict the town as it must have been.

Surrounded by walls, the city was much closer to the sea than it is now, as the water has receded substantially since the days of the eruption. Pompeii had three centers of civic life: the Forum; the Triangular Forum with the Theater District; and the complex with the Amphitheatre and the Palestra. The rest of town was residential and commercial. Streets were lined with small shops and taverns, and the walls were covered with red writing advertising the candidates to the local elections. You'll also see black charcoal graffiti, and painted signs for bars and shops. All these are still visible in the area of the so-called Nuovi Scavi (considered to be new excavations, although they started around 1911!) to the southeast of town.

The Forum is a large rectangular open space covering over 17,400 sq. m. (58,000 sq. ft.) and surrounded by a portico on three sides. On the fourth is the Temple of Jupiter, from the 2nd century B.C., built over a high foundation. The Forum was decorated with bronze and marble statues of important citizens, but the niches stand empty because their objects were taken away shortly after the tragedy in A.D. 79. On the Forum opened the Macellum, the covered food market. At the opposite side, opening onto the street, was the Basilica, the largest building in town, which housed the meeting hall and tribunal.

The Triangular Forum -- so called because of its shape -- is another large area that was once surrounded by a portico. In the middle are the ruins of the Doric Temple from the 6th century B.C. This was the heart of the Theater District, with the beautiful Teatro Grande from the 2nd century B.C. to the east, which could hold an audience of 5,000 for the most important theatrical representations. Farther on is the Odeion, or Small Theater, from the 1st century B.C., for music and mime shows, which could hold 1,000 spectators. Nearby is the Temple of Isis, one of the best-conserved temples to this goddess to survive from antiquity. Also nearby are the Terme Stabiane (Stabian Baths), one of the town's three public bath establishments and among the finest conserved ancient baths in the world, with well-preserved decorations in mosaic, painting, and marble.

From the Forum, you can take Via dell'Abbondanza, the town's main commercial street, lined with shops of all kinds and leading to the southeast of town, the most recently excavated area. One of the most curious shops is the Fullonica Stephani ("Stephen's Dry-Cleaning"); the shop is on the ground floor and the owner's apartment on the second. Farther on is the Casa di Loreius Tiburtinus, with an elegant internal loggia bordering a long pool and decorated with small marble statues; at the end is the Triclinium with two beautiful paintings. At the end of the road to the right is the complex with the Palestra, where sports events were held, with a grandiose swimming pool and surrounded by plane trees (you can see the plaster casts of the stumps). Farther on is the Amphitheatre, the oldest Roman amphitheater in the world, built in 80 B.C., with seating for 1,000 people.

Among the other famous private houses here is the elegant Casa dei Vettii (House of the Vettii), with its magnificent paintings belonging to two rich merchants; they had just redecorated after the damages caused by the earthquake in A.D. 62, so all of the paintings were in excellent shape. Besides several small paintings in a number of rooms in the house, you'll find the magnificent frescoed Triclinium (Dining Room), where you'll see figures and amorini (cupids) on Pompeiian red-and-black backgrounds. Nearby is the Casa del Fauno (House of the Faun), the largest of private homes -- it takes up an entire city block. This was an exquisite mansion, whose finest decorative pieces are now in the Museo Nazionale Archeologico in Naples. Also renowned (though again, most of its paintings have been moved to Naples's museums), is the Casa del Poeta Tragico (House of the Tragic Poet), with its famous CAVE CANEM (Beware of Dog) mosaic by the entrance; the mosaic is oft replicated, and the warning has been adopted by homeowners the world over.

Some of the houses, such as the Casa dell'Ara Massima, or the Casa degli Amorini Dorati (House of the Gilded Cupids) are accessible only by guided tour with advance reservations. You must sign up at tel. 081-8616405, or online at www.arethusa.net. If you are signing up for more than one tour, keep in mind that it might take more than 30 minutes to walk between the various sites.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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