Due to their close proximity a lot of people visit Pompeii and Vesuvius on the same trip. On a recent visit to Naples, seeing both was top of my wish list.
I loved history and geography in school and had learnt a lot about both places. I was really excited to finally get the opportunity to see them in person.
Logistics
After researching a few tours I decided to book a tour on “Get your Guide”. While I am not a huge fan of organised tours, I have taken some really interesting ones recently. So I am slowly changing my opinion on them. I decided to go on one advertised, for a small number of attendees. It cost €95, which included lunch.
The details of the meeting point were sent via WhatsApp a few days before. We met outside a hotel close to the main train station.
Thankfully everyone was on time and we departed at 10.00am. While the group was larger than I expected – 26 people, all were adults and an interesting mix of nationalities.
The ancient city of Pompeii
The English speaking tour guide gave us an overview of the itinerary and some background on Pompeii as soon as we departed. Pompeii is about 25km from Naples city center and the journey took 45 mins. A local guide would show us around the site for approximately two hours.
The ancient city of Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. It is estimated that 4-6 meters of ash covered the city. Parts of it were extremely well preserved and almost frozen in time due to the volume of ash. I had expected it to be more like the Roman Forum but parts of it have complete buildings, walls and cobbled streets.
In its heyday Pompeii was considered a wealthy place with up to 20,000 inhabitants. Even though I visited at a quiet time of the year, there were lots of tour buses at the entrance. Our guide gave us tickets and headsets very quickly and within a few minutes we were inside. One of the main benefits of a tour is skipping the queue. We were quickly cleared through security and x-ray machines. A daily quota of visitors was capped at 20k in 2024.
As is common at sites like this, most tour guides have their preferred routes. This resulted in us approaching the main areas when we had unobstructed views. We could also venture into the smaller spaces alone.
I was amazed how well preserved and large this World Unesco Heritage Site is. While it was first discovered in the 16th Century, excavation work didn’t start for 200 years and most of it was finally uncovered in the 1960’s. As recent as 2018, archaeologists were still finding new things. Lots of signs and artefacts remained intact under the ash. These have been used to identify how people lived back then. Armed with this knowledge the restorers have made models of people, in what they think, were their final moments. Some of these are interesting if not a little unsettling.
The amphitheater is in extremely good condition and often hosts summer concerts. I think it would be amazing to see something here. So this has now been added to my ever growing wish list of things to do in Italy !
There are several piazzas surrounded by buildings and you can imagine their use before the eruption. The cobbled streets are like a warren and it’s obvious why you need to go on an organised tour which will target the main areas. Several establishments give an insight into how life was, including a street which was thought to have housed several brothels to cater for the sailors arriving in Naples. There are also lots of workshops, spas, churches etc. all of which have been expertly preserved. You can see workers everywhere continuing this valuable restoration work.
I was extremely impressed with Pompeii and delighted I finally got to visit. Our guide was very informative and had great banter. He relayed the historical and cultural information in an interesting manner.
Lunch
We then went to a restaurant which was about 20 minutes away. Our prepaid lunch consisted of individual large pizzas – either with or with our meat. You could also select a beverage i.e. water, soft drinks or a glass of wine. I really enjoyed my marguerite pizza and it was lovely to chat to some of the other travellers over lunch.
Mount Vesuvius
It took about 40 minutes, along a very narrow and steep road to arrive at the entrance to the National Park. Our bus parked at the bottom and we were told it was a 30 minute, quite steep hike, to the top. We would have 90 minutes here so could walk up at our own pace. The guide gave us our tickets which were checked at the bottom.
Despite the rain and wind, I thoroughly enjoyed the hike to the top. It was challenging at times due to the weather. There weren’t very many people around so it was very peaceful. Even though it was cloudy, the panoramic views across the Bay of Naples was beautiful. There were a few stalls along the way but it didn’t appear to be very commercialised.
The crater itself is enormous and you seem to be walking around part of its rim for a long time. Very little vegetation is visible among the dark coloured rocks. Its highest point is 1,281m (4,203ft).
Mount Vesuvius is the only volcano on mainland Europe that has erupted in the last 100 years. The previous eruptions have varied in size but several are thought to have lasted for 30 years. It last erupted on the 17th March 1944 and destroyed a funicular which used to go to the top. The volcano is now monitored from the Vesuvius observatory and is currently considered at “a green level alert” i.e. low volcanic activity. A large area around it is a “red zone area” so is non-residential to assist with any potential evacuations.
I really enjoyed an espresso at the top and a quick chat with some of my fellow travellers. I was very in awe of what I had seen but it seemed not everyone was. One gentleman told me it’s really just a hole. When I replied “but it’s an absolutely enormous hole” – he did laugh but he didn’t appear to be impressed.
I was pleased we didn’t go up in a group as I really enjoyed walking at my own pace. I was amazed when I returned to the bus to discover that only 6 people had gone to the top ! I certainly wouldn’t have missed that experience.
Limoncello and chocolate tastings
Very close to the foot of Vesuvius we stopped at a small shop. This was a great treat as they sold locally produced chocolate and limoncello. The extremely engaging owner gave us a quick overview of the wares. We were offered lots of different types of limoncello to taste. Some were non-alcoholic, several were different colours and a very unusual one was flavoured with burrata cheese. We could sample the chocolate which included lemon, spicy and nutty varieties. Everything was extremely well priced, given its remote location. While the owner offered us lots of bulk discounts, we were not pressurised into shopping. I did buy a few small bottles of limoncello, including the one with Burrata (which my Brother enjoyed) and several bars of chocolate.
Final Thoughts
We arrived back in the center of Naples just after 6pm. While almost €100 isn’t cheap for a tour, I thought this was good value. You usually pay extra for lunch on tours and the food was excellent. Everything was really well organised and the time at the two main locations was perfect. It also was a nice to be able to taste and purchase some local items on our way back.
I was delighted to finally get to visit these two extremely significant Italian sites. As always I recommend you visit at a quiet time to avoid the crowds. I advise you research, what tours offer on the usual websites, as costs vary. Personally I think you need to go on an organized tour to really appreciate Pompeii. Pre-booking, even for general admission, is recommended due to the quota. However, if you have your own transport you could visit Vesuvius alone. While parking at the bottom was limited, it’s certainly a great place to walk around and view the scenery.
Also, don’t stay at the bottom, do hike to the top of Vesuvius. While it is just a hole – it’s probably one of the largest and most famous ones you will ever see !!