Pompei and the frozen Roman city beneath Vesuvius

On the edge of the modern town of Pompei in southern Italy, the buried Roman city of Pompeii lies in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, its streets and houses caught at the moment of an ancient catastrophe in 79 AD. The site forms part of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, a cultural landscape inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1997.

A Roman city sealed by the eruption of Vesuvius

Pompeii was a Roman city in the Campania region, south-east of Naples and at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, looking towards the Bay of Naples.The ancient Roman city of Pompeii In 79 AD the volcano erupted with great force, burying Pompeii and nearby settlements under thick deposits of ash and other volcanic material.In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius The ash and pumice accumulated above streets, houses and public buildings, forming a deep layer that concealed the city for many centuries.

When excavations began in the eighteenth century, walls, mosaics and everyday objects emerged from beneath the ash in a state that preserved the layout of a Roman town with exceptional clarity.The World Heritage property includes three different archaeological areas The archaeological remains include domestic houses, workshops, bath complexes and public spaces that together give a detailed view of urban life in the first century. Across the site, plaster casts record the voids left where bodies decomposed within the hardened ash, a stark reminder of the human cost of the eruption.The city of Pompeii is famous because it was destroyed in 79 CE

Streets, houses and frescoes of a Roman town

The excavated streets of Pompeii run between blocks of masonry houses, many built around internal courtyards with colonnades and decorated reception rooms. In several grand residences, wall paintings survive in vivid colour, with architectural scenes, mythological figures and still-life compositions framing doorways and alcoves. Floors in these houses frequently carry mosaics, from simple geometric patterns to detailed scenes showing theatrical masks, animals or marine life.

Public buildings line the forum, the central square that formed the civic heart of the city. Around it stand the remains of temples, a basilica used for legal and commercial activities, and the foundations of market buildings set out to define trading space. Elsewhere, an amphitheatre and a large theatre show the importance of entertainment architecture in the Roman urban fabric, their tiers of seating still legible in stone. Outside the city walls, villas such as the Villa of the Mysteries form part of the same World Heritage property, with richly painted interiors that extend the picture of elite life in the region.Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

From buried ruins to UNESCO World Heritage landscape

Pompeii, together with the archaeological areas of Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, is listed as a cultural World Heritage Site under the title Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata.Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata The inscription in 1997 recognises that these sites present exceptionally complete evidence of Roman society and daily life at a specific historical moment. Together they include urban quarters, suburban villas and coastal residences around the Bay of Naples, all affected by the same volcanic event.

The modern municipality of Pompei has grown close to the archaeological park, and the line of Vesuvius rises behind both town and ruins as a constant presence.Pompeii was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei Visitors move between excavated districts, where stone pavements, stepping-stones and kerbs survive, and more open areas where only foundations and low walls mark former rooms. Across the wider landscape, further villas at Torre Annunziata and structures at Herculaneum extend the archaeological sequence, linking Pompei with neighbouring coastal communities that shared the fate of burial under Vesuvius.

Visiting Pompei: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Pompei lies in Campania in southern Italy, south-east of Naples, with the archaeological park located beside the modern town at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.
• The terrain inside the archaeological area is largely formed by ancient stone streets and uneven surfaces, with changes of level between pavements, courtyards and stepped entrances.
• Within the excavated city, movement between districts involves extended walking over exposed ground, and shade is limited across the open streets and forum.
• The official language is Italian and the currency is the euro.

Searching for Pompei on social platforms

These links open searches for Pompei on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Pompei

Where is Pompei and Pompeii?

Pompei is a town in Campania in southern Italy, south-east of Naples, beside the archaeological remains of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

What can visitors expect at the site?

Visitors encounter an extensive archaeological park of excavated streets, houses, public buildings and frescoed interiors preserved under ash from the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

What makes Pompei distinctive?

The combination of a modern Italian town and an adjoining buried Roman city, recognised as part of a UNESCO World Heritage property, gives Pompei an unusually layered urban landscape.