Why You Need To Visit Pompeii, Italy

And the walls kept tumbling down, in the city that we love. Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above – If you’re like me, you’ve found yourself singing the lyrics to Bastille’s song, Pompeii, when it was a top hit on the radio a while back… but if you’ve ever stopped to really consider the lyrics in the song, you’ll discover this song is more than just a catchy tune, but rather depicts the tragic story of the ancient city.

As we traveled along the coast of Italy with Royal Caribbean, we took a day trip to Pompeii from Sorrento for a couple hours of exploring. What once was a beautiful seaside city filled with restaurants, homes, hotels, and more, Pompeii is known today as an ancient city frozen in time. Although the history of Pompeii isn’t necessarily the happiest of stories, it’s worth visiting at least once for the experience. I recommend taking an afternoon journey from either Rome, Naples, Sorrento, or Positano.

THE HISTORY OF POMPEII

If you’re unfamiliar with the history of Pompeii, the city was tragically buried in ash after the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD. We mentioned Mt. Vesuvius in our Sorrento post the other day (best views in the city), but it’s located on the west coast of Italy and is the only active volcano in Europe. When the volcano erupted, the extreme heat and volcanic ash wiped out the city’s population and covered the entire city.

What makes Pompeii so unique is when the city was later unearthed, the beautiful architecture was preserved by the volcanic ash. As you wander through the ruins, you can imagine what life was like nearly 2,000 years ago. From the chariot markings in the roads to the large family homes, it’s fascinating to experience this ancient culture.

One of the most interesting aspects of the tour was visiting the brothels – which our adorable Italian tour guide describing the brothels could play into this. Marked with red lights outside the structures, the brothels were a popular attraction for traveling sailors. The erotic art inside the buildings (which still remain to this day) feature a menu of … services… available for their sessions. It’s absolutely mind-boggling to see how something like this could exist in such a beautiful seaside town, but it’s fascinating to visit.

Art in the brothels

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING:

As with any tourist attraction, the ruins can be modestly crowded. I loved walking through Pompeii and discovering the history, but a couple of hours max is really all I needed. Also, since the pathways aren’t smooth, be sure to wear a comfortable pair of flats. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, plus you don’t want to trip between stones!