24km (15 miles) S of Naples, 237km (147 miles) SE of Rome. 

Mention Pompeii and one immediately thinks of Mount Vesuvius. When it erupted in 75AD, it almost completely flattened the town. The noise, fire and commotion led Pliny the younger, who was there, to think that the world had ended. The excavations that were carried out here vividly bring to light the life of 19 centuries ago and has sparked the imagination of the world. Though the Pompeian’s, who survived the eruption, removed some of the most precious treasures from the thriving resort, they left quite a lot behind to be discovered at a later date. Many of these precious artifacts were carried off to museums throughout Europe and America. 

Pompeii was a dead city during the middle ages, and was awakened in the sixteenth century by the architect Domenio Fontana. The large scale and detailed excavations of the buried city took place in the mid eighteenth century. Unfortunately, the methods used for the excavation were not very scientific, and neither was the maintenance that was done in the following years. This led to a lot of unessary damage and loss.