Pompei
Destroyed by the Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii was one of the most important commercial centers during Roman age. After a spell as a Greek colony, it came under the sway of the Romans in 200 BC. Covered by several meters of volcanic ash and pumice, it was discovered in 1600 but it wasn't until 1748 that excavations began continuing until the present day. Most of the site has now been uncovered and the most of the best mosaics and murals have found their way to the archeological museum in Naples.
The Site of Pompeii (daily 9am - 1hr before sunset) covers a wide area. Enter from the Villa dei Misteri Site (near the station of Circumvesuviana).
The Forum, a long, slim open space surrounded by the ruins of the town's most important official buildings. Near the forum two of the town's more luxurious houses: the House of the Tragic Poet with the famous mosaics (among them the Cave Canem one on the entrance) and the House of the Faun with the tiny bronze dancing faun.
The House of the Vettii, one of the most delightful houses in Pompeii, is a merchant villa ranged around a central peristyle. It holds some murals with Hercules and Zeus.
In the so-called new excavations there are: the Grand Theatre, well preserved and still used for performances, the Little Theatre, the Gladiator's Barracks and the Amphitheatre, one of Italy's most intact and accessible, dating from 80 BC. Near the Amphitheatre there is the Palestra, a vast parade ground used by Pompeii's youth for sport and exercise.
Outside the main site there's the Villa dei Misteri that derives its name from a series of paintings in one of its larger chambers: depictions of the initiation of a young woman into the Dionysiac Mysteries.
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