Visiting Pompeii/Herculaneum

[Domitia]

If this is the wrong section, sorry.

Seeing someone elses thread along similar lines only concerning Roma instead prompted/inspired me to post this. I'll be going on an archaeological tour to Pompeii and Herculaneum for a week in September; we were going to choose Roma, but the first three days clashed with the last three days of my university's exam week, regretably.

Does anyone know of any nearby sites outside of these two that they'd recommend, that can be fairly easily gotten to? Getting to Roma from Pompeii and back in day would be a bit much, for example :wink:
Any tips/things to note?

Thanks,
Domitia

[caiusbeerquitius]

Paestum, for sure. And Capua. And a ton of other sites, like misenum, the phlegraic fields etc.

[Nathan Ross]

If you're going for a week you should definitely visit the villa at Oplontis - it's a huge site, still largely intact, and probably the best surviving example of a Roman villa suburbana in the world. It's quite close to Pompeii, and accessible by the circumvesuviana railway that runs between Naples and Sorrento. Get off at Torre Annunziata (one of the scuzziest and most graffitoed of the many scuzzy and graffitoed towns around the Bay of Naples) and follow the signs for the villa - it's about a ten minute walk from the station.

When you visit Herculaneum, you might try getting access to the Villa of the Papyrii excavation - it's outside the main site, just across the road that runs down towards the sea. You'd have to book a visit in advance, but you can do this on-line. Sometimes it's open, sometimes not. Not much of the building is visible, but it's an amazing experience just to see how much solid rock was dug away to expose the ruins - you can stand on the front portico of what was once a luxurious villa, staring out at a wall of dripping tufa and trying to imagine the sweeping sea views that the villa's inhabitants would once have enjoyed...

* One more - still on the villa theme. If you walk out along the coast south of Sorrento (or take a bus, to avoid the hectic Italian coastal traffic), you'll get to the remains of the villa of Pollius Felix at Capo di Sorrento, set in a dramatic position on a rocky outcrop above a natural pool. Allegedly, this was the inspiration for the poem by Statius... Location and views are better than actual remains, but it's worth the trip.

[Medicus matt]

All within the immediate area.
Stabia:- Villa San marco and Villa Arianna
Oplontis:- Villa Poppaea
Boscoreale:- Villa Boscoreale

All worth a visit AND when you buy the combined Pompeii/Herculaneum admission ticket, you get entry into all of these other sites as well.
We had them all to ourselves when we went in october last year which was good in a way but meant we couldn't shake off the guides at Stabia.

Don't forget the museum at Naples either. Naples itself isn't great but it's museum is absolutely a must.
We had a hotel in Pompeii and ate a wonderful meal at a different place every night. Cheaper than Rome and there's a big supermarket on the way from the railway station back into town where you can buy meats, cheeses and bread to sustain you during your days of walking around.

[jvrjenivs]

My porsonal favorite from the bay of Naples is (apart from Herculaneum and Pompeii): Cumae

[Nathan Ross]

Naples itself isn't great but it's museum is absolutely a must.

Naples gets a bad press, but undeservedly so in my opinion. It's pretty chaotic, the museum is a shambles with some great stuff hidden in it, but it's certainly diverting. Witnessing two rival female scooter gangs having a slap-up barney in the middle of the street, with old guys bringing chairs out of the cafes onto the pavement to watch the action, is quite an entertainment in itself. The people are friendly - sometimes a bit too 'friendly' - but if you keep your wits about you it's a great place to spend a few days.

[Medicus matt]

Granted I didn't seem much of it, but what I did see when driving into it from Pompeii didn't fill me with the urge to explore further. Worth the effort just to see the Farnese sculptures and the remarkable bronzes from the Villa of the Papyri. A trip to the Piscina Mirabilis was interesting as well.

[ANTONIVS MAGNVS]

Don't forget in Naples Virgil's tomb. It's on the other side of the city but worth the visit. I loved Naples and didn't feel in any danger. We walked most of the city and it has a beautiful waterfront. Of course there are areas you shouldn't walk down, but during the day you should have no trouble in Naples, just stay on roads well traveled.

[Medicus matt]

Didn't have time to dawdle about...too busy seeing stuff.
To clarify, when I said Naples wasn't great, I meant in terms of things to see that interested me (in a pre-5th century way), not that I thought it was a crime ridden cess-pool.

[Vindex]

<sigh> Lovely to read about and imagine these places on a freezing cold miserable, February evening in Britain.