7 Best Sights in The Bay of Naples, Italy

Explore the ruins by the terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus, where the town's great benefactor is buried, and the Suburban Baths (undergoing restoration). Directly below, on the onetime seafront, in the barrel arches, which were once storage for boats, 300 skeletons of escaping residents were found in 1980.

In antiquity, the Casa dei Cervi was one of the first houses that visitors to the town would have passed as they entered the city from the seaward side. As in most top-notch town residences, however, the entranceway is plain and leads into a vestibulum, a small vestibule, that opens onto an open courtyard called a peristylium. The showpiece in this particular house is the garden area, surrounded by a so-called cryptoporticus embellished with fine still-life frescoes and terminating in a partially reconstructed gazebo. Of course, prior to the eruption the house would have had a fine view over the Bay of Naples.

The ruin of this house takes its name from the mosaic in back that still sports its bright blue coloring and adorns the wall of the small, secluded nymphaeum-triclinium (a dining room with a fountain). The mosaic depicts the following scene: according to legend, in the time-honored fashion of the Olympians, Neptune (or Poseidon) saw Amphitrite dancing with the Nereids on the island of Naxos, carried her off, and married her. The adjacent wall, in similar mosaic style, has a hunting scene of a stag being pursued by a dog. Annexed to the same house is a remarkably preserved wine shop, where amphorae still rest on carbonized wooden shelves.

Lying more than 50 feet below the present-day town of Ercolano, the ruins of Herculaneum are set among the acres of greenhouses that make this area an important European flower-growing center. In AD 79, the gigantic eruption of Vesuvius, which also destroyed Pompeii, buried the town under a tide of volcanic mud. The semiliquid pyroclastic surge seeped into the crevices and niches of every building, covering household objects, enveloping textiles and wood, and sealing all in a compact, airtight tomb. Excavation began in 1738 under King Charles of Bourbon, using tunnels after a series of chance finds, most famously when in 1709 locals digging a well inadvertently discovered the city's theater. Digging was interrupted but recommenced in 1828, continuing into the following century. Today less than half of Herculaneum has been excavated. With contemporary Ercolano and the unlovely Resina Quarter sitting on top of the site, progress is limited. From the ramp leading down to Herculaneum's well-preserved edifices, you get a good overall view of the site, as well as an idea of the amount of volcanic debris that had to be removed to bring it to light. The city's grid layout consists of cardi and decumani (north-south and east-west orientated streets), which define six blocks known as insulae. 

About 5,000 people lived in Herculaneum when it was destroyed, many of them fishermen and craftsmen. Among the recent poignant discoveries of human remains was that of the blood-stained skeleton of a 40-something man found on the old beach in 2020. Experts believe he may have been trying to escape the 750°F--950°F atomic-bomb-like blast. He is clutching a small leather bag with a wooden box, from which a ring is protruding.

Although Herculaneum had only one-third the population of Pompeii and has been only partially excavated, what has been found is generally better preserved. In some cases you can even see the original wooden beams, doors, and staircases. Unfortunately, the Villa dei Papiri (Villa of Papyri) is currently closed to the public—this excavation outside the main site was built by Julius Caesar's father-in-law (with a replica built by Paul Getty in Malibu almost 2,000 years later). The building is named for almost 2,000 carbonized papyrus scrolls dug up here in the 18th century, leading scholars to believe that this may have been a study center or library. Also worth special attention are the carbonized remains within the Casa del Tramezzo di Legno (House of the Wooden Partition). Although open sporadically for a separate fee—for hard-hat and torchlit guided tour only (check the website for latest schedule)—the Teatro Antico makes for a dank and atmospheric subterranean visit, where you can explore a Roman theater and view graffiti scrawled by 19th-century grand tourists. The MAV museum, housed outside the excavations near the main entrance, uses multimedia and virtual technology to bring Roman Herculaneum and the eruption to life.    

Be sure to stock up on refreshments beforehand; there is no food at the archaeological site. At the entrance, pick up a free map showing the gridlike layout of the dig, which is divided into numbered blocks, or insulae. Splurge on an audio guide app via  www.ercolano.tours (€10; adult and children's versions): the standard audio guide (€9 for one, €14 for two) may be available for those without a smartphone. You can also join a group with a local guide (around €20 per person). Most of the houses are open, and a representative cross section of domestic, commercial, and civic buildings can be seen. Check the website for the latest openings and news of recent excavation discoveries.

In antiquity this whole area was the Palatium Baianum (the Palace of Baia), dedicated to otium (leisure) and the residence of emperors from Augustus to as late as Septimius Severus in the 3rd century AD. At the park's ticket office, you should receive a small site map, and information panels in English are posted at strategic intervals. The first terrace, the Villa dell'Ambulatio, is one of the best levels from which to appreciate the site's topography: the whole hillside down to the level of the modern road near the waterfront has been modeled into flat terraces, each sporting different architectural features.

While up on the first terrace look for the depictions of dolphins, swans, and cupids in the balneum (thermal bathing, Room 13), and admire the theatrical motifs in the floor mosaic in Room 14. Below the balneum and inviting further exploration is a nymphaeum shrine, which can be reached from the western side. Make sure you get down to the so-called Temple of Mercury, on the lowest level, which has held much fascination for travelers from the 18th century onward. It has been variously interpreted as a frigidarium and as a natatio (swimming pool) and is the oldest example of a large dome (50 BC–27 BC), predating the cupola of the Pantheon in Rome. (Test the rich, haunting echo in the interior.) In summer the site often provides an unusual backdrop for evening concerts and opera performances.

The site of Pompeii, the petrified memorial to Vesuvius's eruption in AD 79, is the largest, most accessible, and probably most famous excavation anywhere. A busy commercial center with a population of 10,000–20,000, ancient Pompeii covered about 170 acres on the seaward end of the fertile Sarno Plain. Today it's choked with both the dust of 25 centuries and more than 3 million visitors every year; only by escaping the hordes and lingering along its silent streets can you truly fall under the site's spell. On a quiet backstreet, all you need is a little imagination to picture life in this ancient town.

Come in the late afternoon, when the site is far less busy, and you will understand the true pleasure of visiting Pompeii.

If entering via Porta Marina, the revamped (2021) Antiquarium traces the history of Pompeii from the Samnite era (4th century BC) until AD 79. Among the artifacts displayed are the House of the Golden Bracelet frescoes, the triclinium (dining room) of the House of Menander, and the recently created casts of the Civita Giuliana villa victims.

Get your bearings at the Foro (Forum), which served as Pompeii's cultural, political, commercial, and religious hub. You can still see some of the two stories of colonnades that used to line two sides of the square. Like the ancient Greek agora in Athens, the Forum was a busy shopping area, complete with public officials to apply proper standards of weights and measures. Fronted by an elegant portico on the eastern side of the forum is the Macellum, a covered meat and fish market dating to the 2nd century BC. The nearby Terme del Foro (Forum Baths) offered a relaxing respite. It had underground furnaces, the heat from which circulated beneath the floor, rose through flues in the walls, and escaped through chimneys: temperature could be set for cold, lukewarm, or hot. On the southwestern corner is the Basilica, the city's law court and the economic center. These oblong halls were the model for early Christian churches, which had a nave (central aisle) and two side aisles separated by rows of columns.

Several homes were captured in various states by the eruption of Vesuvius, each representing a different slice of Pompeiian life. The Casa del Poeta Tragico (House of the Tragic Poet) is a typical middle-class residence. On the floor is a mosaic of a chained dog and the inscription cave canem ("beware of the dog"). The Casa dei Vettii (House of the Vettii) is the best example of a wealthy merchant's home.

There's no more magnificently memorable evidence of Pompeii's devotion to the pleasures of the flesh than the frescoes on view at the Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries), a palatial abode built at the far northwestern fringe of Pompeii. Unearthed in 1909 this villa had many rooms, all adorned with frescoes—the finest of which are in the triclinium. Painted in the most glowing Pompeiian red, the panels relate the saga of a young bride and her initiation into the mysteries of the cult of Dionysus, who was a god imported to Italy from Greece and then given the Latin name of Bacchus.

Pompeii's other major edifice is the Anfiteatro (Amphitheater), once the ultimate entertainment venue for locals. It provided a range of experiences, though these essentially involved gladiators rather than wild animals. Built in about 70 BC, the oval structure was divided into three seating areas. There were two main entrances—at the north and south ends—and a narrow passage on the west called the Porta Libitinensis, through which the dead were most probably dragged out.

To get the most out of Pompeii, rent an audio guide (€9 for one, €14 for two; you'll need to leave an ID card) at Porta Marina, and opt for one of the three itineraries (two hours, four hours, or six hours). If hiring a guide, make sure the guide is registered for an English tour and standing inside the gate; agree beforehand on the length of the tour and the price. You can find a knowledgeable and qualified guide at  www.vesuviusvspompeii.com or  www.contexttravel.com. Advance tickets can be purchased online at  www.ticketone.it/en/artist/scavi-pompei (there's a link on the official Pompeii website).

A few words about closures: which excavations are open or closed when you arrive might seem a caprice of the gods adorning many of the buildings' walls, but the actual determining factors include availability of staff, geological uncertainty, and restoration. Many excavations are closed long-term for restoration. The Casa del Fauno and Casa del Menandro are usually open, however, as is the central core of the city, a visit requiring two or more hours itself. In 2019, La Schola Armaturarum—the so-called Casa dei Gladiatori (House of the Gladiators)—was restored after water damage had caused its roof to collapse in 2010, an event that made world headlines and highlighted the need to better protect Pompeii's treasures. It's an emblem of revitalized preservation efforts and improved management. Check the website for the latest news and exhibitions, and the updated list of visitable buildings at  pompeiisites.org/en/houses. If you're lodging in the town of Pompei, note that there's a convenient entrance to the ruins near the amphitheater off Piazza Santa Immacolata.

These forum baths contained separate sections for men and women. Here you can see most of the architectural aspects of thermae (baths): the apodyterium, or changing room, with partitioned shelves for depositing togas and a low podium to use as seating space while in line to use the facilities; a round frigidarium, or a cool pool; a tepidarium, a semi-heated room; and a calidarium, or heated room with pool. For more attractive mosaics, go around into the women's baths, which had no frigidarium. The heating system in the tepidarium was also different—no hot air piped through or under, only braziers. Note the small overhead cubbies in which bathers stored their belongings.