Almost two thousand years ago Mt Vesuvius erupted and wiped out much of the surrounding area, covering cities in lava, ash and molten rock. Pompeii is the most famous of the towns subjected to Vesuvius wrath, but Herculaneum met the same fate. Pompeii was covered in ash and lava floes, being further away from the volcano itself. Herculaneum however was buried under a rush of molten rock that mingled with the mud and earth around the town and effectively sealed the town away from time.
The hot mud preserved much more than its neighbor Pompeii, allowing many two story buildings to remain standing as well as keeping organic matter like clothing and beds to survive as well.
The hot mud preserved much more than its neighbor Pompeii, allowing many two story buildings to remain standing as well as keeping organic matter like clothing and beds to survive as well.
The museum that has opened recently outside Naples, a mere 100m from Herculaneum itself, recreates the feeling of being alive in Herculaneum. An epic project to say the least, it took three years to build and contains more than seventy multimedia stations. The stations are designed to detect visitors based on tags given at admission and can react different depending on who is at the station: children, adults, foreigners and Italians.
The Herculaneum museum is now open every day except Monday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
There are many villas to rent in Campania near Naples.
The Herculaneum museum is now open every day except Monday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
There are many villas to rent in Campania near Naples.
