Pompeii is a city in Southern Italy’s Napoli region where history has its testimonials preserved till today. Two years back, while in Rome with my family, we went for a short and sweet day trip to Pompeii.
The easiest way to get to Pompeii from Rome is by train, which is only about an hour and a half each way. From Rome’s Termini Station, we took the high-speed train to Naples’ Napoli Centrale Station. I must add here that it is always better to purchase tickets in advance. From Naples, we hired a taxi to take us to Pompeii en route to Sorrento.
The sleeping Mount Vesuvius overlooks this ancient city. The entire city was destroyed by the deadly volcanic explosions of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Nearly 1000 years later, in the 18th century, this city was discovered by archaeologists.
It is a city frozen in time as it was entirely buried under 12 metres of ash and lava, preserving it for centuries to come. The weather being hot and sultry, as we walked down the cobbled streets and lanes, we got the impression that everyone had been doing their chores, having the slightest idea that their last acts would provide a window to ancient life for the later generations.
Everything has been protected from the normal decay of time, including Pompeii’s paintings, furniture and tools of everyday life. The most significant discovery is human plaster casts – the ghostly impressions in the ash left by the city residents who were buried alive. It was an eerie experience to come across the plaster casts of human bodies, animals and plants. A large of Pompeii still remains unexcavated, and work is going on to dig out the remains.
Pompeii has two theatres – the Teatro Grande, the larger of the two can seat 5000 spectators. It is still used for summer performances.
We spent around three hours in this creepy yet fascinating city before heading back to Rome. Though the sight of the people frozen in their final moments trembled me, but it is a must-visit for history buffs.

(All the pictures in the slideshow are by Upasna Prasad)