| For those of you who know history and even if the | | | | such as the bath house and gladiator arena. Pompeii is |
| subject is not your forte, you probably have heard of | | | | so large that you see parts of the city one at a time |
| both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Since that fateful day | | | | not just individual buildings. If you have the time, Pompeii |
| in 79 A.D. the two cities have been in an eternal battle | | | | is a must but Herculaneum is coming up fast and may |
| for the hearts, minds and dollars of visitors from | | | | pass its competition due to the impressive and grand |
| around the globe; Herculaneum just dealt the death | | | | improvements around the archeological site. |
| blow to Pompeii; and the world waits for the bell to ring | | | | Less than 20 months ago the town of Eurculaneo |
| ending the fight. | | | | decided that the site deserved better; actually they |
| The two cities are located in the same area around | | | | wanted more money from tourist's visits so they |
| Naples and are only a few miles apart but they have | | | | made some impressive changes. Prior to the |
| drastic differences that make each unique; but recently | | | | improvements the access to the site was primitive at |
| the region of Campania has made changes to | | | | best. Tour buses, cars and people had to walk long |
| Herculaneum that puts it on the top of the ruins to see | | | | and hard to enter and ticketing access, information and |
| in Italy. | | | | restrooms were few and far between. The changes |
| Let's talk a little history why don't we. First let's talk | | | | made to the flow of people and information is |
| about the name; Herculaneum is the ancient name and | | | | dramatic and places Herculaneum at the top of easy |
| is no longer used except in books and movies. In fact | | | | access sites. |
| when you are driving on the A3 highway or taking the | | | | The improvements to the area include a new |
| chercumvisivania (train that runs from Naples to | | | | underground parking garage, new bus parking, new |
| Sorrento with stops along the way) from the Amalfi | | | | wide access entrance area and garden, huge ticketing, |
| coast the signs do not say Herculaneum. If you don't | | | | information and rest area with ample access to |
| know this little tidbit of information you will be forever | | | | restrooms. Herculaneum is well below ground level by |
| lost trying to find the site. Today the name used in | | | | about 200 feet so a very wide and smooth walkway |
| modern Italian is Ercolano. On August 24, 79 AD the | | | | has been built that follows the upper rim of the site and |
| eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the town in | | | | offers a very mild slope to a new bridge that puts you |
| superheated pyroclastic material. | | | | directly at the highest point of the ruins. Prior to the |
| Pompeii being just that much closer to Mt. Vesuvius | | | | new ramping system, visitors had a grueling 200 step |
| resulted in a huge amount of damage compared to its | | | | climb through a tunnel that was formed through the |
| sister city just a few miles further away. Throughout | | | | rock that surrounds the site; that tunnel is still open for |
| history and the expert promotion efforts of the Italian | | | | those who explore to the lowest point of the site and |
| Government and various guide books, TV shows and | | | | want to depart from there instead of trekking back up |
| made for TV movies; Pompeii has risen to the winner's | | | | to the new bridge. |
| podium in the eyes of the world. | | | | For visitors with limited mobility or those that don't care |
| Herculaneum has always been much better preserved | | | | to walk far; Ercolano is the only choice. Pompeii is very |
| than Pompeii and much smaller but was located tightly | | | | spread out and requires hours of walking, Herculaneum |
| in a small neighborhood and was fraught with difficult | | | | is much smaller and one can walk from one end to the |
| access, parking and support by the local community. | | | | other in less than 5 minutes. While Pompeii offers a |
| Pompeii on the other hand established itself as the | | | | vast arena of archeological wonders spread over |
| easiest to visit with dozens of parking lots, cafe's, | | | | ½ mile radius; it can take a time and imagination |
| restaurants, audio guides and an infrastructure that | | | | to put your mind's eye back in time to the golden days |
| could handle thousands of visitors each day. | | | | of life in the town while Ercolano offers almost a |
| When I went to Pompeii for the first time, it was a hot | | | | complete town to explore. Instead of seeing many |
| summer and the first thing that blew my mind was the | | | | single and double walled ruins you can take your time |
| size of the site. Pompeii is huge, I mean city huge. | | | | to go inside houses, meeting rooms, shops, bakeries, |
| There is no quick visit of Pompeii; in fact it will eat up a | | | | town halls and baths and see complete spaces from |
| travel day in a New York second. The site surprises | | | | ancient wall paintings to wood doors as they stood in |
| people from around the globe with a maze of ruins | | | | 79 A.D. |
| that would take most people a week to see correctly. | | | | The shear amount of details within the ruins is stunning |
| The majority of the structures that remain are double | | | | and will keep even the most restless of the family |
| and single walled compounds without roofs but the | | | | members happy and eager to explore the ancient |
| structures that are more complete are quite amazing | | | | past of this great city. |