Hotel in Pompei, The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Pompeii, the excavations, the Vesuvius volcano
The excavations of Ercolano
The excavations of Ercolano are less famous than the ones of Pompeii but they actually complete them. The excavations of the two ancient Roman towns show two contemporary realities but they also show their differences. This is why it is interesting having a visit to both places. Pompeii has been almost completely unearthed and it is possible to understand how a town during the reign of Tiberius lived. The ancient Ercolano, instead, has not been completely unearthed because on its territory there is the modern town, so many ancient important buildings are missing. But many details are better preserved. Ercolano was covered by a hot “cloud” whose temperature was higher than 100°. This cloud brought also liquefied fragments of rocks. When they got cold, these powders became like a mud that was able to penetrate any spaces and any gaps. In this way, they protected the materials that were burnt but not destroyed. This is why objects were so well preserved. For example, there is a “grocery” shop that still preserves the shelves with the amphorae (they were the most common containers of the period).
In the so-called ‘Villa dei Papiri’ a library was found. Books (contained in papyruses) were burnt but using the right techniques they could be unrolled and read, thus giving us an inestimable patrimony of knowledge about that age.
In Ercolano understanding actions and habits of our ancestors is easy and it is especially easy to imagine the moments of everyday life and to discover that world was not so different. Visiting these excavations means having the possibility to know a lot about our past and to feel special sensations thanks to the objects, houses, and so on, that are so well preserved.
We recommend to wear comfortable shoes, ancient Roman roads are not very smooth. In sunny days it is advisable wearing a hat and during the summer it is better to use special protective creams.
Copyright Starnetwork
Testi Ettore Panella
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TOURIST INFORMATION
Access
Corso Resina, Ercolano (NA)
Schools
School parties must book in advance
For all information:
Sezione Didattica - tel: +39 081 8575331
Rules for visiting the archaeological areas
Opening times
November - March, every day from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(last admission 3.30 p.m.)
April - October, every day from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
(last admission 6 p.m.)
Closed: 1st January, 1st May, 25th December
Main access routes:
by train:
Circumvesuviana Napoli-Sorrento or Napoli - Poggiomarino or Napoli - Torre Annunziata (stop Ercolano)
by car:
Autostrada A3 Napoli-Salerno (exit Ercolano)
Admission:
Single ticket - valid for 1 day
Full price: € 11.00
Half price: € 5.50 (*)
access to 5 sites: (Herculaneum, Pompeii, Oplontis, Stabiae, Boscoreale) - valid for 3 days
Full price: € 20.00
Half price : € 10.00 (*)
Free of charge: for EU citizens under 18 or over 65 years old.
(*) Reductions: for EU citizens aged 18-24 and EU permanent school teachers.
Reductions and free tickets can be issued only by showing a valid document (passport, identity card, driving license).
A visit of the archaeological area of Pompeii should start from Porta Marina which is in the direction of the sea.
This gate that seems a tower built into the old walls had two passageways: one for the pedestrians and the other for the animals and the means of transport. In a niche in the wall there is a terracotta statue representing Minerva, the protectress of the gate.