No doubt about it, Pompeii is a daunting proposition. Arrive at 8.30am and the
Porta Marina main gate is already aswarm with people. Many are wearing
yellow baseball caps or lapel badges (“Billy-Bob, Sacramento, CA”), lest
they stray from their groups.
Before you there stretch 163 acres of close-packed ruins of almost unbearable
historical significance. In prospect, then, are hours of walking round
intellectually challenging rubble in the company of Billy-Bobs by the score.
It’s a little overpowering.
But it needn’t be. Certainly, Pompeii is the most important classical
archeological site in Europe. Its wealth of monumental buildings is
unmatched, as is its collection of mosaics and wall-paintings. But its
architecture and art didn’t exist in a void; they were the framework for a
thriving commercial town where 20,000 people lived, traded, ate, drank,
worshipped and frequented brothels.
Get in among it and evidence of such activities is everywhere, preserved for
almost 2,000 years under the metres of muck chucked out when Vesuvius
exploded on August 24, AD79. Streets are lined with bars, shops and election
propaganda. Walk inside and you’re seeing the frescoes, gardens, fountains
and kitchens as they were when the volcano blew.
It’s astonishing — both the extraordinarily familiar (Pompeii had 89 food
takeaways) and the gratifyingly strange (if we put up a luxury house, we’d
probably decide against painting a huge phallus on the porch).
This is a story of humans, not simply of stone. If the place is now dead, it
was once abundantly alive. Bring a modicum of imagination, take your time —
and you can feel it. This, rather than construction methods or artistic
nuances, is the true pull of Pompeii.
THE TOUR
The aim is to cover key spots, but also to get an appreciation of Pompeii as a
living town. To do that, you need to outrun the crowds — and to take time,
to linger and to wonder. So our tour runs to about six hours. Six hours?!
Certainly, but once the ancient city takes a hold of you, time flashes by.
Start at the Porta Marina main entrance. It’s right across from the station
that links modern Pompeii to Naples and Sorrento — train is the best access
— and it’s the only place to get hold of an audio guide, an excellent
£4-worth of anyone’s money. The secondary Porto Anfiteatro gate may be less
crowded, but we’re going to lose the mob rapidly anyway.
Ensure that you’ve got good walking shoes and a bottle of water. Don’t bother
with a picnic. It’s a burden to carry and the on-site self-service cafeteria
is adequate for lunch.
Two final points. Once you’re in, you’re in. There’s no going out and
re-entering without paying. And expect some of the buildings we mention here
to be closed. Nobody can predict which, and nobody really knows why. “You’re
in Italy,” a local guide explained to me.
MORNING
8.30am - Porta Marina
Right. It’s 8.30am, the gates have opened and you’re off, up the slope to the
Porta Marina. Though this was the main entrance, the one that led to the
canal that led to the port, it’s surprisingly narrow for a town of 20,000
people. It must have been pandemonium when Vesuvius blew.
Don’t dawdle in the Forum: you’ll be returning here. What you’re doing now is
legging it from the Billy-Bobs. Turn left, out at the top end and into the
Vicolo delle Terme opposite. Here, you’re away from the monumental centre,
and the hordes. Slow down and soak up the little streets. The paving stones
are rutted with cart tracks. The buildings press in, not unlike contemporary
Mediterranean backstreets. Listen and you’ll hear the echo of ancient Roman
hubbub.
Pop into the Pansa House to grasp the layout of a typical Pompeiian house
while you’re still ahead. Blind to the street, it is organised round an
inner courtyard and a colonnaded garden. In Tuscany, it would rent for a
fortune. Further along Via Consolare, the Baker’s House has an oven in which
you could still cook pizza today.
Continue to the Porta Erco-lano and leave the town again (sounds odd, but
stick with me here). At once, you’re among the grandiose tombs that rich
Pompeiians erected just outside the city gates, to show travellers that
status survived death. Keep walking, up to and through the arbour.
9.15am - Villa of Mysteries
This is a Pompeii must-see — a superbly preserved aristocratic farmstead built
around gardens, arcades and courtyards. It had a full wine-making operation
and a quite astounding fresco in the dining room. Ten scenes rich in red,
ochre and black blanket three walls, and depict a woman being inducted into
the Dionysiac cult — or perhaps preparing for marriage. Opinions vary.
Whatever: they are alive, fleshy and intriguing.
Return not past the tombs but slightly left, onto the ridge running round the
town walls. The views are splendid — over the whole of Pompeii and away to
the bay or, looking north, to Vesuvius. Re-enter town through the Porta
Vesuvio, past the water tower and down Vicolo dei Vettii to the House of
Vettii. This rich merchant’s house is presently closed for renovation, but
look through the grille and you’ll spot Priapus flaunting his vast appendage
in the porch. To guard the house against the evil eye, they say.
Round the corner, dart into the Dioscuri House, one of Pompeii’s most
luxurious, with particularly elaborate wall paintings. Then amble up Via de
Mercurio to the Meleager House, before crossing the street.
10.15am - Apollo House
Out at the back, the garden is lovely, with great frescoes of Ulysses and
Achilles and a little cubicle bedroom where the mosaic floor marks the exact
position of the beds. Stay awhile. You’re still off the Billy-Bob beaten
track, so it’s a good moment to relax. You’re wandering through the private
life of a Roman family. It’s not every day you get to do that.
Back along Via de Mercurio, take in the House of the Small Fountain — thus
named because, well, it has a small fountain. It’s exquisite, covered in
glass-and-shell mosaics and flanked by the lovely landscape paintings that
were all the rage in later Pompeii. Apart from anything else, they made
small gardens look bigger.
Turn right at the Honorary Arch and immediately you’re at a thermopolium, or
tavern takeaway. Sunk into the counter, you’ll see the jars from which they
served up booze and hot food. A pity, you may be reflecting by now, that
it’s not still open.
Turn around, pass back in front of the arch, and note the public fountains —
and the stepping stones. Pompeii’s water supply was ace, but its water
disposal less reliable. Streets were often awash; hence the need for the
stones. Move off along the Via della Fortuna.
11am - The House of the Faun
So called because it contained Pompeii’s most famous statue, the dancing faun.
The one that is now in the courtyard rain-basin is a copy: the original is
in the Naples Archeological Museum, as are the grandiose mosaics found here,
including one showing Alexander thrashing Darius, King of Persia, in battle.
No matter. This was the largest, and perhaps most refined, house in town. As
you explore, the luxury life of the leisured classes seems quite tangible,
despite the passage of 20 centuries.
Continue along Via della Fortuna and turn right into Vicolo Storto. Pass
another, bigger bakery, then go left and right into Vicolo del Lupanare.
“Lupanare” means brothel, and the street name tells no lies.
11.30am - The Brothel
Apparently, Pompeii was pretty relaxed about sex, with rather more girls on
the game than you might think necessary for a town of 20,000 people. Here,
the ladies operated in cubicle bedrooms, above whose doors were pictures of
what you might expect to find inside. They still leave little to the
imagination. Naturally, this is a pulsating crowd-puller, so after the
crush, reward yourself with an early lunch. Head along Vicolo del Balcone
Pensile to the Forum and right to the cafeteria. Expect to pay £3 for a
salad and £4 for lasagne.
AFTERNOON
12.30pm - The Forum
The morning was mainly residential and commercial. This afternoon you’ll
tackle monumental Pompeii. You’ve been clever and eaten early, so you should
be able to get to the Forum just as the guided groups are leaving for their
lunch.
This was the centre of the city’s political, economic, religious and
administrative life. Surrounded on three sides by two-storey arcades, it
must have been grandiose. Today, it’s a tad disappointing, simply because
there is too little left to enable you to “read” it properly. It’s like a
magnificent set of teeth smashed in by a cricket ball.
More interesting are the buildings that flank it. Note the pair of body casts
in the macellum meat market; and the bas-relief of a bull, being sacrificed
in the nearby imperial temple.
Now cross the bottom of the Forum, in front of the admin buildings, and stare
up at the Temple of Jupiter. Pompeii’s main temple may have taken a
battering, but standing alone, set high and with Vesuvius glowering behind,
it retains a self-important aura. You want to step lightly around old Jove.
Nip into the Basilica, where both business and justice were carried out in
suitably epic surroundings, then into Apollo’s Temple, the oldest place of
worship in town. Parts of it go back to the 6th century BC. By now, this
kind of information might be slipping off you like mercury. Struggle against
this. Anywhere else, any one of these buildings would be a source of wonder.
That they are all together, in context, and have emerged from under seven
metres of hard muck, is much more wonderful still.
Maintain your sense of awe by pausing to study the statues and sundial in
Apollo’s place, the “weights and measures” checking system nearby, and then,
in the grain market, some more plaster casts. The dog you’ll see here died
in contorted agony because his master forgot to untie him. So much for man’s
best friend. Now head along Via dell’ Abbondanza.
1pm - The Stabian Baths
Almost everything here is still in place: the grassed area and outdoor pool
for sports; the changing room with stuccoed vaulted ceiling; the cold, warm
and hot baths, complete with murals and painted domes. Plus the
sophisticated heating systems. Turn right down Via Stabiana, to what had
once been Pompeii’s town centre before becoming the theatre complex.
1.15pm - The Big and Little Theatres
Seating 5,000 and 1,300 respectively, and wonderfully preserved, these give a
good idea of just how seriously Pompeiians took their entertainment. Round
the corner, meanwhile, the Temple of Isis is simply the best-preserved Isaic
temple in the Roman world. The Egyptian cult’s promise of salvation after
death had a powerful grip on Pompeii’s popular mind — and, weirdly, the
temple had not lost its power when unearthed in 1760. The discovery
coincided with a Freemason-fuelled fad for Egyptianism, so that the temple
became the 18th-century Pompeiian must-see. Mozart copied it for the set of
The Magic Flute, when it premiered in 1791.
Along the Vicolo del Menandro, the Menander House is another Pompeiian glory,
but has eccentric opening times (2-3pm, weekends only: don’t ask me why). So
move across to the Ceii House and in through the plaster cast of the
original wooden door. The wall-paintings here are sumptuous — fighting
animals, Nile landscapes — but may leave you wondering, once again, how
Pompeiians lived with them. They do rather dominate a room.
Move back up to Via dell’ Abbondanza, Pompeii’s main street. Edged by shops
and workshops, bars and houses, it is long, straight and relatively wide. It
bustles still — though the much-vaunted wall inscriptions (electoral
propaganda, adverts, graffiti) are pretty poorly preserved.
Move along to the Octavius Quartus house — a belter, with elaborate gardens
that you’d never have guessed were here. The summer terrace has frescoes of
Pyramus, Thisbe and Narcissus. Now, turn down Vicolo dell’Anfiteatro.
1.45pm - The Amphitheatre
One of the most complete in existence, this is exactly as a Roman amphitheatre
should be: epic, overwhelming and a fitting setting for the tearing apart of
men and animals. Next door is the huge, colonnaded sports arena where young
men practised discus-throwing and wrestling. It doubled as a slave market
and barracks for gladiators, one of whom scrawled on the wall: “I was here
and women were unable to resist me, except for just a few.” Muscle men
haven’t much changed.
Take Via della Palestra, then turn left into Vicolo dei Fuggiaschi to the
Fugitives’ Garden. It is now a vineyard — but notable for the glass case
along the back wall. Here are 13 plaster casts, members of three families
lying exactly where they were when overcome by heat and ash as they tried to
flee the eruption.
But you’re almost through. Make your way back towards the exit, ambling slowly
and visiting anything else you fancy on the way. There’s a vast amount you
haven’t seen, and wandering haphazardly is a good way to finish.
2.30pm - The Temple of Venus
You can’t avoid it because it’s the way out. The temple is largely wrecked,
however, and need not detain you as you hotfoot it for the exit — and a
glass of fresh orange juice from the kiosks beyond. You deserve nothing
less.
AFTER POMPEII
The Archeological Museum in Naples (Piazza Museo; 9am-7.30pm,
closed Tuesday; £4.70) is one of Europe’s greatest classical museums,
containing an enormous range of treasures taken from Pompeii and
Herculaneum. It’s a must. The statues and mosaics, notably from the House of
the Faun, are staggering; as are the tableware and displays devoted to the
Isis Temple. Then there’s the famous Secret Room, full of erotic art and
relics. You’ll be surprised what use Pompeiians found for model phalluses.
It costs no extra to get in and see the classical porn, but you must book a
time when you buy your general ticket. Don’t be embarrassed, everyone goes.
If you’d not seen Pompeii, Herculaneum (8.30am-6pm)
would be astonishing. Even when you have, it remains impressive. Though much
smaller (and closer to Vesuvius), it is, in some ways, better preserved. The
steaming mud that engulfed it (as opposed to ash and pumice at Pompeii)
meant that carbonised wood and other organic material survived; as did some
upper storeys. A good way to spend the day after Pompeii.
Pompeii plan: the complete travel brief
The site: at £7.30 (for an adult), entry to Pompeii is startlingly
good value. A £13 ticket gets you into both Pompeii and Herculaneum — but
only if you do both on the same day. I would advise against it. It’s not
worth the slog to save £1.60 (individual admission to Herculaneum is £7.30,
too). Excellent Pompeii street maps (and English-language booklets) are
given away free, so there’s no need to bring one with you. The site opens at
8.30am; last entry 6pm (3.30pm from November to March).
Getting there: the only direct scheduled flights from the UK
or Ireland to Naples are from London, with British Airways (0870 850 9850,
www.ba.com), flying from Gatwick from £99; BMI British Midland (0870 607
0555, www.flybmi.co.uk) from Heathrow from £78; and EasyJet (0871 750 0100,
www.easyjet.com) from Gatwick and Stansted from £41. Deckchair.com (0870 888
1730, www.deckchair.com) has fares from Manchester from £168, with BMI via
Heathrow, or from Glasgow and Edinburgh from £178, with BA via Gatwick. Or
try Travelocity (0870 111 7061, www.travelocity.co.uk). Gohop.com in Ireland
(01 241 2389, www.gohop.com) has fares from Dublin from €347, with BA via
Gatwick.
Unless you are staying in Pompeii new town, the easiest access to the site is
by the Circumvesuviana train. It leaves from the station on Corso Garibaldi,
Naples, and from opposite Piazza Lauro in Sorrento. But ensure you get the
right service: marked “Pompeii Scavi, Villa dei Misteri”. It takes 30
minutes and a round trip from either town costs about £3. Unless you are
intending to do a lot of other travelling, don’t hire a car. Driving in the
Naples region is the least relaxing activity on earth.
Where to stay and eat: Naples and Sorrento are the obvious
choices for a base, not least because of their easy train access to Pompeii.
In Naples, the four-star Hotel Miramare (00 39 081 764 7589,
www.hotelmiramare.com) was built as a villa in 1914 and has a superb
location on the Bay of Naples, with doubles from £132.
In Sorrento, the luxury Imperial Hotel Tramontano (081 8782588,
www.tramontano.com; doubles from £190) perches on a cliff directly above a
little beach, and has seen just about everybody from Shelley to the Prince
of Wales.
Among the best places in Pompeii itself is the Hotel Amleto (Via Bartolo Longo
(081 863 1004, www.hotelamleto.it; doubles from £72), a classy family-run
establishment in the centre of a new town that isn’t as ugly as people say.
For food in Pompeii, head straight for Il President on the unpromising-looking
Piazza Schettini; from £30pp. Or bob into the Trattoria Vinicola on Via San
Michele, from £9.50.
Tour operators: Inntravel (01653 617788, www.inntravel.co.uk)
has two nights, B&B, at the four-star Hotel Miramare, plus return BA
flights from Gatwick, from £316pp. Or try Kirker Holidays (020 7231 3333,
www.kirkerholidays.com) or Citalia (020 8686 5533, www.citalia.com). In
Ireland, contact Abbey Travel (01 804 7100, www.abbeytravel.ie).
Knowledge if power: Pompeii facts
When extinguished, Pompeii was an evolving town with a 600-year history. Greeks,
Etruscans and local Samnites had run the place before it became a Roman
dependency in about 88BC.
All these folk left their mark on the town, and all were still part of its noisy,
heterogeneous population. Because of its port status, Pompeii also soaked up
influences from around the Mediterranean. Latterly, Egyptian cults and decor
were all the Pompeiian rage. Posher houses had Nile scenes on their walls.
In AD79, Pompeii (and Herculaneum) were only just recovering from a gigantic earthquake
17 years earlier. Rebuilding work was still under way, so that some of the
ruins we see now were actually ruins then, too.
As the ash from the eruption fell, it buried people and animals — and
then hardened around them. The bodies decomposed, leaving cavities. The 19th-century
archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli had the brilliant idea of pumping plaster
into these cavities, thus producing casts of humans, dogs and even pigs in
their last agonies. They can be seen at various places in Pompeii — and
20 centuries on, you can still feel their pain and suffering.
