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walking through history:
HERCULANEUM
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Excursions list
Ulixes' Coast,
Amalfi,
Capri
Caserta,
Erculaneum,
Formia,
Gaeta,
Ischia,
Montecassino,
Neapolis,
Pompeii,
Ponza &
Ventotene islands,
Sorrento,
Vesuvius,
Vietri
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| Do
it yourself - Walking tour
Do-it-Yourself tour Directions:
By car
From the Napoli Tangenziale you will pass exits such as Agnano,
Fuorigrotta, Arenella, etc. At the end of the Tangenziale you will
be required to pay Lit 1,100 toll.
Continue past the tollbooth, passing the Capodichino airport exit.
Here the road splits into two Autostradas: Autostrada A-1 to Rome
(North) and Autostrada A-3 to Salerno (South).
Take Autostrada A-3 towards Salerno, exit to Ercolano .
By train:
Take Circumvesuviana
train from Naples, Piazza Garibaldi towards Sorrento,
getting off at Ercolano.
Suggested tours:
Begin your tour at the Ercolano train station (1).
Normally, you should see the excavations at Herculaneum
first, but in winter it is best to start with
Vesuvius
as the bus and chairlift do not operate in the late afternoon then.
The bus to Vesuvius leaves from directly opposite the train station.
If you have any questions about this, stop at the local tourist
office by the southwest corner of the square one block from the
station, on the way to the digs.
Continue straight ahead along the main street for about three blocks
to the entrance of the Herculaneum Excavations (Scavi di Ercolano)
(2).
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Once inside,
you will see several authorized guides who will offer to take
you around, expecting a tip in reward.
This is by far the best way to see Herculaneum since the guides
are knowledgeable and have the keys to those houses that are
locked. Attempting to identify the ruined structures by yourself
is very difficult, even using the best guide books available.
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After the guided tour is finished you can retrace your steps—the site
is quite small—and spend more time at those spots of greatest interest.
The short descriptions given below are only a rough guide to
the most important highlights. Herculaneum was discovered in 1709
when a local prince came across ruins while digging a well.
Further excavations were made with the support of the king of Naples
after 1738 but, as was common in those days, the only interest was
in recovering valuable artifacts.
Real systematic archaeological work began in 1927 and is still under
way. Digging is especially painstaking as everything is literally
encased in stone. To date, only a portion of Herculaneum has been
uncovered since most of it lies under the modern town of Ercolano,
once known as Resina.
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From
the bottom of the long entrance ramp turn right to the House
of the Mosaic Atrium (Atrio a Mosaico) (3),
which has some very fine mosaic floors and a lovely garden.
Some of its wooden window frames are preserved, a feature
of Herculaneum that is missing in Pompeii, where the hot ashes
ignited the wood.
Just up the street is the House of the Wooden Trellis
(Graticcio) (4), a plebeian dwelling using cheap wood-and-plasler
construction and incorporating a shop. Not all of the wood
here is original, of course. |
Next to this is the House of the Wooden Partition (Tramezzo di Legno),
a multi-storied private house where parts of a wooden wall are still
well preserved. Bits of furniture and even some ancient food are displayed
in glass cases. The shop on the corner has a wooden clothes press
in excellent condition.
In the opposite corner stands the Samnite House (Sannitica) (5)
which, although modified, has interesting pre-Roman origins. Its
interior atrium is especially noteworthy.
The large Baths (Thermae)
(6) have survived much as they were when first built during the reign
of Augustus. Not as luxurious as those at Pompeii, they are nonetheless
quite well planned and have separate entrances for men and women.
Cross the street to the House of the Charred Furniture (Mobilio
Carbonfzzato) (7), a charming middle-class home with some original
furniture.
Standing next to it is the House of the Neptune Mosaic (Nettuno
e di Anfitrite) with a superbly well-preserved shop on the street,
complete with merchandise that was for sale at the moment of destruction.
Step into the courtyard to view the beautiful mosaics of Neptune
and Anfitrite.
Continue up the street to the House of the Beautiful Courtyard
(Bel Cortile) (8), an unusual structure in which objects of everyday
life are displayed.
Now turn right onto the main street, the Decumanus Maximus, where
there is a public fountain. The Forum, not yet excavated, lies buried
beyond this.
The House the the Bicentenario (9) was so named because
it was unearthed 200 years after the first serious digs began.
Curiously, the outline of a cross on a wall of an upstairs room seems
to suggest that a Christian lived here, although the crucifix symbol
was not known to have been used as early as A.D. 79.
Turn right onto the Carlo V street and follow it past many interesting
sights, including the partially excavated Palestra, to the House
of the Deer (Cervi) (10). This is the most luxurious villa yet
unearthed at Hlerculaneum, and is filled with remarkable art and sculpture.
A ramp from here leads down to the former port, now far away from
the sea. The Suburban Baths (Thermae) (11) were constructed
shortly before the disaster and are in exceptionally fine condition.
| You have now seen the major attractions of
Herculaneum, which is open daily except on Mondays
and some holidays, from 9 a.m. until one hour before sunset.
Return to the entrance and walk up the street to
the train station (1). |
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