Explore the ruins of the world’s most famous buried city!
Pompeii is one of Italy’s most visited attractions and rightfully so, it’s amazing. There is nothing like walking through the streets of an Ancient Roman city. I love Pompeii so much that I have returned four times. Yes, four.
In this post, I’m going to take you on a visual journey through Pompeii from my latest visit to one of my favorite places in the world.
You enter Pompeii through the suburbs, right past the very fancy Suburban Baths. I was able to explore that the last time I visited. The park often opens different villas or buildings on different days, so I have seen new places each time I have visited.
Pompeii was famously buried by tons of ash and pumice in 79 CE by Mount Vesuvius. It was a nice town that was recovering from a previous earthquake about 15 years before.
The Forum of Pompeii, forever in the shadow of the volcano that destroyed it.
The Forum was the center of the city. Even though in Pompeii’s case, it isn’t located in the center of town. The forum is in the center of the original Samnite town that the Romans conquered in 89 BCE. Most markets and temples were located near the forum, as well as entertainment venues. Pompeii’s, however, were not added until the Romans came so they are on the far other side of town.
Right on the forum is the Basilica, a place for justice and business. Not much has changed in two thousand years. Many early Christian churches, and even a bunch of churches today, are based on the Ancient Roman basilica.
Across the street from the basilica is the Sanctuary of Apollo, built in the 2nd century BC, well before the Romans ruled Pompeii.
Another sight you can see on the forum is the Granary of the Forum, which now stores artifacts found in the ruins, including some of those famous plaster bodies.
Streets continued north from the Forum through grand arches. They would have been covered with decorative marble.
However, before we continue north, let’s explore a bit more around the Forum area.
Near the basilica and the Sanctuary of Apollo was a house I have never been in before, the Casa di Romolo e Remo (House of Romulus and Remus). It had a wonderful fresco under this awning featuring wild animals, like elephants and buffalos.
Next up is the Forum Baths. This room was an apodyterium (dressing room). There was a shelf for the bathers’ clothes and belongings, maybe even hooks. The remains of benches were found in this room. I think little men holding the top shelves are supposed to be Atlas.
As we continue north from the Forum Baths, streets look pretty much like this. Some structures stand much taller than others. Some are restored, some not. Before the eruption, two- or three-story buildings were common, along with many open storefronts and houses behind.
Casa di Sallustio (House of Sallust) is one of the many examples of an open bar/eatery (think Roman fast food). Archaeologists think that since the atrium of the villa is so open to the eatery, the villa may have been turned into a hotel.
Heading further north along the Via Consolare will bring you to the Porta Ercolano, and the road that takes you to the nearby town of Herculaneum.
Archaeologists have named the road the Via delle Tombe, for all the tombs that line the road. Romans couldn’t bury their dead within the city walls, so they constructed their tombs along the major routes heading out of town.
If you take the Via delle Tombe, you will end up at one of Pompeii’s lovely gems, the Villa of the Mysteries, my absolute favorite villa in the whole park.
The villa is named for this fresco which depict the mysteries of the cult of Dionysus (he is hidden on the glare).
The villa has well preserved frescoes in almost every room and is open for exploration.
I never noticed this before (being my third visit). You can see the two different styles owners had decorated this room with over time. Very cool. I like the black myself.
And of course, you can find two of the last residents of house here as well.
Heading back down to town from the suburbs, I found more gems, like this fresco in the garden of the Casa di Adone Ferito.
And this hidden peristyle in the Casa dell’Ancora (House of the Anchor), named for the mosaic of an anchor at its front step. The house was super interesting being a two-story house, you entered on the second floor. I have never seen that in a Roman house before.
Heading south from there, one can find a few narrow streets from the original Samnite town, like Vicolo Storto.
Casa dell’Orso Ferito (House of the Wounded Bear) has a wonderful mosaic fountain in its small garden.
While the previous house was rather small, the Casa di Sirico (House of Sirico) was huge. It butted up against the super fancy Stabian Baths and was full of frescoes like this one. You can even find some plaster people in there today.
The Stabian Baths have just reopened to the public after an extensive renovation. I was so happy to finally see them as they are some of the oldest baths that survive from the Roman world, from the 2nd century BCE.
One of the entryways to the baths. Just look at that ceiling!
A very fancy bathing room with a possible fountain? This would have been on the men’s side of the complex as it is very fancy. The women’s side was much plainer.
Ancient Roman graffiti! They were known for it and left it all over town.
Close to the Stabian Baths is the Casa degli Epidii. I just liked it because of all the columns.
Further down the street is the Fullonica di Stephanus, basically the Laundry of Stephan. This is probably the fanciest laundry that we will ever see. A villa was converted during the final stage of life of the city. A bath was placed where the old atrium was for washing laundry.
One of my favorite houses was just up the street from there, the Casa di Paquius Proculus, famous for its dog mosaic at the entranceway.
The floor of the atrium is completely covered in black and white mosaics. It’s a shame we can’t get a closer look.
Next door is the Casa dell’Efebo, known for its well-preserved mosaics, like this one in its triclinium (dining room).
The house is also known for its outdoor triclinium, also covered with frescoes. It even had a water fountain.
A surviving two-story façade in the southern part of Pompeii.
The last house I’m going to visit is the Casa del Meandro. Here it is from inside the giant peristyle. It’s a rather large house on the southern side of Pompeii that took up most of a city block, owned by Quintus Poppaeus Sabinus of the Poppei family, which were relatives of the Empress Poppea Sabina, Nero’s second wife (and owner of the Villa at Oplontis).
The House of the Meander is easy to get lost in and reminds me of a lot like the Villa of the Mysteries, except squeezed more into a little box. Some of the frescoes still survive but many of the treasures were silver artifacts now removed to the Archaeological Museum in Naples. One thing I found was this neat little altar in the peristyle. Either these were busts of ancestors or maybe lares, the household gardens, but I love that they are still here where they were found.
This post maybe a bit longer than I usually make them, but it was so hard to cut down a whole day of Pompeii to just 35 photos. It was my fourth visit to the park, and I still saw new houses and baths and discovered new things in places I have been a couple of times before.
Pompeii may get more and more crowded every year, but it is still worth it going and seeing this for yourself. Buy your ticket ahead of time and plan. Pack a lunch and get there before it opens. Say hi to the site dogs and don’t visit in summer if you want to survive.
Visit: pompeiisites.org for official information.
Check out my next update where I visit the amazing city of Naples!
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