When I decided to go on my dream trip to Italy, there were three things I had to do no matter what. Tour the Colosseum, see Pompeii, and go to an opera at La Scala. I only had enough time to take a day trip to Pompeii from Rome, which I thought would be an extravagant adventure. Turns out, it’s totally doable in a day.
I remember the first time I learned about Pompeii as a child. I was completely transfixed by it, how an entire city was practically frozen in time. Decades later, it partially inspired me to study anthropology in college. Needless to say, my expectations of Pompeii were high. And it did not disappoint!
5 Reasons to Take a Day Trip to Pompeii from Rome
The ruins of Pompeii are incredible. Destroyed by the volcanic explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the 16 feet of ash that fell on the city preserved it practically intact. Houses, buildings, theaters, and bathhouses all still exist, albeit without roofs and slightly weathered in the 2,000 years since they were used. But frescos, marble countertops, and decorative details all survived.
Let me slow down a bit. Here’s why you need to take a day trip to Pompeii from Rome.
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1. Pompeii is an easy day trip from Rome.
Pompeii is about 150 miles away from Rome and easily accessible by train or car. The train route takes about an hour to Naples, then requires a half hour bus to the archeological site. From there you can explore the site on your own or take a guided tour. (Book your train tickets here.) Driving takes about 2.5 hours.
While it’s possible to do a day trip on your own, it’s easier to take a guided day trip that includes transportation. Many tours include other stops along the way, like the one I took that included Naples. (More on that below.) Or there are tours that stop in the Amalfi Coast and Positano (in addition to Pompeii) from Rome, all in a day!
2. The entire ancient city of Pompeii is preserved.
The ancient city of Pompeii covered 160 acres. Technically speaking, all of it still exists but only a third of it has been excavated. Only a portion of that is open to the public, but it feels like walking through a whole city! Theaters, temples, bathhouses, entire streets lined with shops, and neighborhoods of houses are all open to see.
Since my day trip to Pompeii included a guided walking tour of the ruins, I was able to see all the highlights in a short amount of time. That included the Large Theater, an amphitheater that seats 5,000 people used for plays and gladitorial games, mansions with a fountain in the middle, and a street lined with shops. One of the shops had a near perfect marble countertop, hardly scratched after 2,000 years.
And it’s not just Pompeii. Several nearby cities also destroyed by Mount Vesuvius are also open to the public. (Recently these opened to disperse the crowds at Pompeii, which is being threatened by over-tourism.)
3. Even the details and decorations still exist.
Pompeii was a wealthy city and its citizens decorated their buildings with elaborate frescoes and details. Miraculously, not only did Pompeii’s buildings and structures survive the volcanic eruption, so did those details.
Household objects, jewelry, even ovens with bread baking inside were all found when Pompeii was first excavated. And, of course, the remains of 2,000 people who died there. Unfortunately most of Pompeii’s famous plaster casts of the victims aren’t actually at Pompeii, but in museums throughout Italy. Only a few are on display throughout the site.
4. The people of Pompeii were fascinated with phallic shapes.
At the risk of revealing my inner teenager, one of Pompeii’s highlights is the erotic side that survived. One example is the brothel that not only still has beds, but erotic frescoes showing the services available.
And the people of Pompeii weren’t shy about showing the way to the brothel. They marked the direction to it with phallic-shaped carvings on the street and buildings nearby. Even water fountains had big, um, members carved into them!
But before you think the people of Pompeii were just perverts, apparently they considered it a sign of prosperity. And obviously they were less shy about nudity than we are today!
5. Pompeii is near Naples, and both can be toured in a day.
The tour I took for my day trip to Pompeii included a walking tour of Naples, complete with lunch. We stopped there first, getting a short tour of the city from a local guide. We saw the Piazza del Plebiscito, where the Royal Palace and San Francesco di Paolo are, and Castel Nuovo, a castle built in 1279.
But the best part was lunch. We stopped at a little restaurant with a view of Castel Nuovo for Neapolitan pizza, classic spaghetti, antipasta, and sfogliatella (a custard-filled pastry). The food was so good, I’m afraid I might never be able to eat spaghetti and pizza again!
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Related :: What to See and What to Skip in Rome, What to Eat in Rome, and Why I Hated Vatican City
