Page 28 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

24

ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL SIGHTS

Herculaneum

vs Pompeii ABOVE Tourists crowding around a body cast at Pompeii, Italy

FORGET POMPEII?

Herculaneum, with its beautifully preserved Roman ruins, offers an atmospheric THE BUILD-UP The remarkably intact ruins
of Pompeii make up one of Europe’s most
and uncrowded alternative to its better-known rival, Pompeii
compelling archaeological sites, offering a
fantastic insight into life at the height of the
Roman Empire, as well as a chilling parable of
for 1,700 years, until the remains of the town were a flourishing civilization suddenly extinguished
NEED TO KNOW
accidentally discovered in the early 18th century by unforeseen natural catastrophe.
LOCATION Herculaneum by laborers digging a well.
is in the Bay of Naples, 5 miles .JMBO 7FOJDF
(8 km) south of Naples and 10 As you wander around the ancient city’s dusty THE LETDOWN With around 2.5 million
miles (16 km) north of Pompeii streets, in and out of the haunting, echoey ruins of visitors a year, Pompeii is now the most popular
*5"-:
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION fine Roman villas and courtyards, it is easy to tourist site in Italy, and at busy times the crowds
6th century BC 3PNF "ESJBUJD can be oppressive. The site is also very spread
4FB
DAYTIME )&3$6-"/&6. imagine Herculaneum as it once must have been out, and can be tiring to explore, especially in
TEMPERATURES – a flourishing residential center. The town was the hot summer months. Some of Pompeii’s
Jan: 54°F (12°C); Apr: 65°F 5ZSSIFOJBO much smaller and wealthier than Pompeii, and
4FB
(18°C); Jul: 85°F (29°C); *POJBO ruins have also been severely compromised by
Oct: 71°F (23°C) 4FB although it lacks the large public spaces and badly executed 20th-century restorations that
imposing civic architecture of its bigger neighbor, aimed to recreate the “atmosphere” of the
the architecture generally exhibits far higher ancient city by rebuilding walls and roofs,
The small Roman town of Herculaneum was standards of craftsmanship. The town’s two lavish often using unsightly concrete and steel.
obliterated by the same fateful explosion of Mount public baths, for example, date from 10 BC and
Vesuvius that wiped out Pompeii in AD 79. And for boast original doors, detailed stuccowork, and GOING ANYWAY? Don’t try to rush Pompeii:
many people, it is Herculaneum that offers the wooden benches and shelves. Incredibly, there are it’s a big site, so devote a whole day to
exploring the place, aiming to be at the most
more concise and moving monument to the great even shards of glass in some of the window frames.
popular sights at the beginning and end of the
Vesuvian eruption. Its ruins might be less extensive Other notable sights include the grand House of the
day. Be selective, too, rather than trying to
than those at Pompeii, but they are far better Mosaic Atrium, with its dazzling geometric tiled
charge around seeing absolutely everything,
preserved. Many of the buildings have weathered floor and superbly decorated courtyard. There is and have a look at the site map before you set
the centuries so well that they look virtually the also an eerily well-preserved line of shops, off in order to check which parts of the city are
same as they would have done millennia ago. A including a baker’s, a weaver’s, and a dyer’s. currently closed for restoration.
remarkable wealth of decorative detail and everyday
objects have also survived, including superb mosaics PRACTICAL INFORMATION
and murals, wooden benches, and even fragments
of glass, creating a touchingly vivid and immediate Getting There and Around Where to Stay
The nearest airport is at Naples, Most visitors stay in Naples or
sense of the lives of the people who lived here.
and there are regular buses from Sorrento. In Naples, the unusual
Herculaneum initially escaped the volcanic here to the site. Herculaneum is Hotel San Francisco al Monte
inferno that enveloped Pompeii, and it was not also easily reached by train on (tel. +39 81 251 2461) occupies a
until much later in the eruption that mud and lava the Circumvesuviana line. Head converted 16th-century
flows from Vesuvius swamped the town, followed to Ercolano station, which is monastery. The former monks’
25 minutes from Naples and cells have been beautifully
by a devastating flow of scalding gas and pumice,
40 minutes from Sorrento. transformed into luxury rooms.
which killed all those who had not already fled. But
Where to Eat Facilities include an open-air bar
a fortuitous combination of natural phenomena Unsurprisingly, as the city that and a swimming pool.
during the eruption gave rise to Herculaneum’s claims to have invented pizza, When to Go
remarkable state of preservation. The deluge of Naples has an excellent range of Herculaneum is open year-
mud from the volcano filled the buildings, which places to eat. Try the legendary round, although July and August
Da Michele at Via Cesare Sersale can be unpleasantly hot.
prevented them from collapsing, and the intense
1, one of the city’s most famous
heat of other volcanic debris left all exposed wood pizzerias, founded in 1870. Only Budget per Day for Two
in a slightly charred condition, much of which has two types of pizza are on offer US$250 including transport,
survived intact. Finally, a 82-ft (25-m) layer of tufa here – margherita and marinara. food, accommodations, and
admission.
rock was formed from solidified mud – compared You cannot make reservations
and there’s almost always a line, Website
to a mere 13 ft (4 m) of tufa at Pompeii – and this
so allow plenty of time. www.herculaneum.org
solid blanket created an airtight seal over the city

3/12/08 16:02:03
024-025_ahs_Herculaneum.indd 24
US024-025_ahs_Herculaneum.indd 24 16/4/09 09:45:49