A day trip to Pompeii near Sorrento is easy to achieve from Rome – it is a long day and frequently with a stop in Naples, but is worth it.

However, if you are not visiting Rome or will not have the time for a day trip to the ruins of Pompeii, the website RealmofHistory.com offers a virtual reconstruction of ancient Pompeii, so you can see the city as it was and as it is now.

Pompeii was destroyed when Vesuvius erupted in 79AD, sending rivers of boiling magma and ash cascading down the mountainside, which covered the city so quickly residents were unable to escape.  The figures of residents later uncovered bear a sad testimony to what happened the day that Pompeii was buried beneath a deluge of volcanic materials.

If you are visiting Rome or are staying in or near Naples and have time to spare, it is a must-see. You can wander round the streets and see how life would have been lived before Vesuvius erupted – including beautifully (and sometimes scurrilously) decorated dining rooms and even brothels! You can also read more about Pompeii at the website History.com.

79AD was also the year in which the Emperor Vespasian died, to be succeeded by his son Titus, who had been groomed to be emperor. He gave assistance to Campania after Vesuvius erupted. He had been put in charge of the Jewish War and spearheaded the sack of Jerusalem in 70AD. The Roman historian Suetonius christened Titus “particeps atque etiam tutor imperii ” – “sharer and even protector of the empire”. However, not even the mighty Titus could save Pompeii from destruction by the will of nature.

Viator has a wide range of trips to Pompeii, including from Rome.

Buon viaggio!

Images courtesy of pixabay.com