EXC1-A – Pompeii – Herculaneum – Vesuvious – Naples
Private Tour with a qualified english speaking driver.
A days tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum and Vesuvio italy limousine will take you for a cars drive to Pompeii etc.
Tour with us we will take you with our limousines to the ruins, where you can experience and see the magnitude of the eruption in 79 BC and all the people who lay buried for many centuries. It’s staggering but is only one part of the story. Just down the road from Italy’s most-visited tourist attraction are the little-known digs and museums at Herculaneum, Vesuvius, exactly from any of those two places you can see the sleeping giant which has erupted last time in 1944. Naples the culture contained in this city simply stuns. There is so much to visit, what are you waiting?
ABOUT CITIES YOU WILL VISIT
Pompeii | Herculaneum | Vesuvious | Naples
Pompeii
The ‘discovery’ of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Majestic and menacing, Vesuvius still dominates the Neapolitan landscape. From the Eighteenth century onwards travellers have been prepared to tackle the climb up to the top in order to admire the panorama and look down into the crater. There is no better starting point to begin a journey through the history and culture of Campania.
A journey which takes us back in time, as far as that 24th of August in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius ‘put on a show’ with a devastating eruption which buried Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis.
The rediscovery of the places that were victims of the wrath of the volcano came about almost by chance. In 1709 the prince d’Elboeuf, was having a well dug in his Vesuvian residence, when he came upon the remains of the theatre of Herculaneum. From then on, researches were made which brought to light an archaeological, artistic and historical heritage of inestimable value, which every year draws millions of visitors.
Pompeii
Being an important commercial centre in Campania felix, played a strategic role in the redistribution of goods between Rome, the inland cities and the ports on the Mediterranean. The life of the city centred around the Forum. Still today one can admire the remains of the Basilica, seat of justice and chamber of commerce, religious buildings and the Macellum, site of the marketplace. From the main square streets lead off to the ancient city, revealing majestic houses, such as the House of the Faun and the House of the Vettii, with their splendid frescoes. The shops in via dell’Abbondanza, offer a lively impression of everyday life two thousands years ago. From here we carry on to the Stabian Baths, the oldest public baths in Pompeii, ending up at the massively impressive Amphitheatre, where even today, as in the Large Theatre, there are concerts and theatrical productions.
Just outside the city, stands the Villa of the Mysteries, the most ‘enigmatic’ monument in Pompeii, with its grand fresco celebrating the mysterious cult of Dionysus.
In summer the ruins can also be visited at night. ‘Suggestioni al foro’ is a theatrical production which, through sounds and voices echoing around the temples and houses, recreates the atmosphere of the ‘lost’ city. The visit ends with a multimedia show which reconstructs the dramatic phases of the eruption with special effects and filmed images.
Herculaneum
The ‘discovery’ of Pompeii and Herculaneum
Majestic and menacing, Vesuvius still dominates the Neapolitan landscape. From the Eighteenth century onwards travellers have been prepared to tackle the climb up to the top in order to admire the panorama and look down into the crater. There is no better starting point to begin a journey through the history and culture of Campania.
A journey which takes us back in time, as far as that 24th of August in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius ‘put on a show’ with a devastating eruption which buried Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis.
The rediscovery of the places that were victims of the wrath of the volcano came about almost by chance. In 1709 the prince d’Elboeuf, was having a well dug in his Vesuvian residence, when he came upon the remains of the theatre of Herculaneum. From then on, researches were made which brought to light an archaeological, artistic and historical heritage of inestimable value, which every year draws millions of visitors.
Herculaneum
At Herculaneum, unlike Pompeii, where the eruption destroyed roofs and attics, a large part of the buildings remain several stories high: the House of Argus still has its wooden balcony.
The House of Relief of Telephus is distinguished by its refined marble decorations; the House of Neptune and Amphitrite have beautiful mosaics; the House of the Deer has sumptuous rooms and the superb Villa of the Papyri is famous for its sculptures, now on view in the Archaeological Museum of Naples and its library of philosophical texts. Not far from Herculaneum, near Torre Annunziata (formerly ancient Oplontis) stands the Villa of Poppea. The traditional view is that it belonged to Poppea Sabina, Nero’s second wife. The building, standing in a large garden, is decorated with brilliant frescoes representing still life subjects.
Vesuvious
Whoever says Vesuvius, says Campania.
Neapolitans call the most famous mountain in the world ‘A Muntagna. It is the symbol of the City that, with its perfect form, closes the Gulf. The majestic cone dominates a disquieting and evocative environment. Tormented landscapes of savage beauty await the visitor: the panorama from the top of the mountain extends from the Sorrentine Peninsula to Capo Posillipo, giving rise to unforgettable memories, especially in the tenuous light of sunrise or with the intense ones of sunset.
Vesuvius is the only active volcano in continental Europe, and is also one of its most dangerous, as the land at its feet is densly populated and the houses arrive up to 700 mt above sea level. The summit to the left is that of Mount Somma (1133 mt), and to the right the cone of Vesuvius (1281 mt). They are seperated by a valley called ‘Valle del Gigante’ (Valley of the Giant), in turn subdivided into ‘Atrio del Cavallo’ (Hall of the Horse, West) and ‘Valle del Inferno’ (Valley of Hell, East).
The original inhabitants had forgotten that they were dealing with a volcano: it was known solely for its excellent wines and for the thick vegetation that covered its summit. It became suddenly famous when, in 79 BC, it erupted. Entire cities, among which Pompeii and Herculaneum, were destroyed.
The last eruption, filmed by Allied troops, was in 1944. Since then the volcano has been dormant. In 1991 the institution of Vesuvius National Park was decreed, and the “World Biosphere Reserve” status was given to it by Unesco. This comprises all of the area around the volcano, the entire archaeological system of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and the Miglio d’Oro (Golden Mile) with its splendid examples of 1700’s and 1800’s villas. As for the flora, the territories of the Vesuvius and the Somma differ in certain aspects. The former is more arid and sunny, with typical mediterranean vegetation, pine woods and holm-oak stands. The latter is moister, with woods of chestnut, oak, adler, maple and holm-oak trees. Among these you can come across, rarely, a splendid stand of birches, unusual for this mediterranean environment. There are also many orchids, 23 species in all, and the bright yellow broom, that so enchanted the poet Giacomo Leopardi. The fauna of the Park is also particularly interesting.
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Naples
In the shadow the Vesuvius tourism’s roots run deep: on the imprints of great greek columns refined aristocrats and roman emperors built their sumptuous villas and oasis all along the shoreline of the Gulf. It is not a coincidence that at the begining of this third millennium the peculiar magic of this civilisation continues to generate new sources of amazement: the recovery of age old monuments and traditions – folklore, gastronomy, genuine cultivation – that were thought irreparably lost, events and shows worthy of the great international circuit, new fodder for artistic and scientific research.
The artistic treasure of Naples to visit are, in fact, to many to count: the historical centre, a patrimony under the tutelage of UNESCO, the palaces, churches, catacombs and underground passageways, the Archaeological Museum, the places of medieval and renaissance power amassed around the Castel Nuovo and Royal Palace, the unforgettable waterfront from Castel dell’Ovo to Posillipo. The hilly area of Vomero offers masterfully restored buildings like the Capodimonte Royal Palace and the Certosa (monastery) of San Martino, museum collections amongst the most important in the world. A trip through the twentieth century city takes you, among the notable emerging urban and architectural sights, to the rationalist Mostra d’Oltremare, with its park, sports complex and exhibition space, to Città della Scienza (Science City) near by. Science is also witness to the recovery of industrial archaeological complexes and the originality of a scientific tradition that renews itself. Unusual and surprising is the exploration of the new homes of contemporary art: monumental structures like the PAN, Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, the MADRE, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina (Donnaregina Contemporary Arts Museum), and the unique artistry of the metro stations that evidence the original horizons of farseeing cultural politics. Naples, in the final sum, remains, deep in its roots, even with all the difficulties and contradictions inherent to all big metropolitan cities, an extraordinary place to live, admire, and enjoy with all the senses: for the depth of the art and civilisation that has idelibly marked its history; for the mild climate that accompanies day and night the shows, musical and theatrical events, exhibitions, fairs and religious gatherings; for the gourmand possibilites to search out the age old culinary tradition, the seafood and the unique typical products (buffalo mozzarella, pizza, Docg wine, varied and refined pastries) in all their local translations, or for finding fine hidden little shops where craftsmen still ply their wares.
The origins of the city are lost in time and charming legends. The most tenable hypothese puts the beginnings of the city in the 9th century BC, when the greeks colonised the Gulf on their way up to the high Thyrrenean mineral deposits. In 326 it was declared a Roman colony. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Naples became the capital of an important Duchy, that namaged to stave off the invading Longobards. In 1137 the Duchy fell into the hands of the Normans, who favoured cultural integration. The Port of Naples became the most important in the world. After the death of Frederick II of Svevia, Carlo D’Angiò made his triumphal entrance to Naples in 1266. Power passed into the hands of Alfonso d’Aragona in 1442, after a long war that brought the city to its knees. In a short time, however, the situation changed: important civil engineering (the construction of sewage conducts and streets) and restoration works were undertaken (at Castel Nuovo the Triumph Arch was built). Other works (like the opening of via Toledo, the construction of the Spanish Quarters – formerly barracks – and the restoration of the Chiaia Riviera) were completed during the following two centuries during the Spanish rule (1503-1707), up to the arrival of the Bourbons (1734), who reigned the Kingdom of Naples until 1860 when Italy was finally united. Our journey of discovery of the city begins in the historic core which preserves ancient greek-roman imprints, to continue with the places of power of the medieval-renaissance period concentrated around the Castel Nuovo and Royal Palace. We will then follow along the waterfront from the Castel dell’Ovo to Posillipo, to end up on the green hills of Capodimonte and Vomero.
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