| Herculaneum | |
 | |
| Mosaic | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Italy |
|---|---|
| Area | 0,98 km² |
| Spindle | UTC 01:00, UTC 02:00 |
| Location | |
 40 ° 48 ′ 22 ″ N 14 ° 20 ′ 51 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
Herculaneum is a city ofItaly near Naples in Italy. Smaller than Pompeii, the site is quite small since about three quarters of the city are still buried under the current city. Nevertheless, the wealth of the residences is worth the detour, as well as the possibility of admiring, on a promontory thirty meters high, and several tens of meters from the current shore, the old beach and its port!
Understand
We can say that Herculaneum is, in many ways, a more interesting place to visit than Pompeii. Surrounded by volcanic rock, the site gives a much clearer idea of the strength of the eruption. While in Pompeii the roofs collapsed under the weight of the falling ash, there were only a few inches in Herculaneum, causing little damage. Subsequently, six flows of boiling mud (mixture of ash and gas) followed one another and then solidified. They gradually buried the city's buildings from the bottom up, causing relatively little damage. The rapid filling of the site with these flows ensured its good conservation, preventing the buildings from collapsing. The high temperature of the first pour charred and dried out the wood of the buildings. Restoration continues: while much of the timber has been replaced, much of the original framework is still in place, although heavily charred. Finally, volcanic rock, or tufo, hermetically covered the site for 1,700 years. As a result, one can see many well-preserved buildings, many with their upper levels still intact, as well as remarkable frescoes and mosaics, both on the floors and on the walls.
Herculaneum really gives an idea of how the ancient Romans lived. For the independent traveler, there is another advantage over Pompeii. The congested streets around the archaeological area (it. scavi) make access to tourist coaches impossible. Thus, visitors are much less numerous in Herculaneum than in Pompeii. It is possible to enter buildings without having to navigate your way among the horde of other tourists, and explore the ruins at your leisure without being overwhelmed by groups of travelers. This area also covers a much smaller area than in Pompeii and therefore it is much less exhausting to visit it entirely.
To go
Circulate
See
The thermal baths, extremely well preserved, as well as, to the east of the site, a basin, or swimming pool, still half buried under thirty meters of volcanic mud. Feeling all this mass above your head allows you to understand the importance of the volcanic phenomenon that struck this place.
Make
Walk ! Admire ! Swim!
Buy
Eat
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
- 1 Hotel Punta Quattro Venti Via Marittima, 59,
39 81 7773041, 39 81 732 2329, fax : 39 81 7773757, email: [email protected]
