Herculaneum which neighbors Pompeii was destroyed in the same volcanic eruption in A.D. 79. So, there are in a lot of ways it is the better archaeological site. It has always been second in fame and visitation. Instead of ash, Herculaneum was covered in feet of mud, which even better preserved the undersized port city. And since it was excavated later, much of the artwork and artifacts on display in the Herculaneum are unusual, while a lot of Pompeii’s treasures were carted off to museums.
The end in this city was just as unforeseen and catastrophic. A number of dozen residents sheltered in boathouses but perished in the intense heat. Their skeletons are still huddled together, some even carrying keys, symptomatic of they hoped to shortly go home. In the Ad Cucumas wine shop, big jugs line the wall and a present fresco lists prices for a pitcher of wine. The city was also home to an order of Roman priests who preserved the Collegium of the Augustales.
Nonetheless, inside its leftovers are two frescoes depicting the deeds of Hercules, the divine Greek hero? The enormous gymnasium complex, or palaestra, has an open area surrounded by a portico. The cruciform swimming pool is still obscured, but a profound, rectangular pool is evident. The destructive ruins of Herculaneum are even better conserved than those in Pompeii.
Herculaneum is situated in the middle of a modern city, Ercolano. At the same time as it’s a simple trip there from Naples or Sorrento, staying in Ercolano will put you just steps from the ruins. Try Hotel Herculaneum (hotelherculaneum.com), with rooms overlooking the site, or Miglio d’Oro Park Hotel (migliodoroparkhotel.it), in an 18thcentury villa.
So, question is, how to get there? From Naples, take the Circumvesuviana rail commuter line toward Sorrento, and get off at the first Herculaneum stop, Ercolano Scavi. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the wreck.
Read More – The Cities Vesuvius Buried
