Herculaneum

Herculaneum (Italian: Ercolano) is a town close to Naples in Campania, Italy. It is named after the ruined Roman city which forms its main attraction. Herculaneum was destroyed by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, the same eruption that destroyed Pompeii. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Understand
For many people, Herculaneum is a more interesting place to visit than Pompeii. Surrounded by volcanic rock, its location gives you a far clearer idea of the magnitude of the volcanic eruption. While roofs in Pompeii collapsed under the weight of falling ash, only a few centimetres of ash fell on Herculaneum, causing little damage. Subsequently, there was a succession of six flows of boiling mud (a mixture of ash and gases) which then solidified. These gradually buried the city's buildings from the bottom up, causing relatively little damage. The good state of preservation of the site is due to its rapid filling by these flows, which prevented the buildings from collapsing. The high temperature of the first flow carbonized wood in the buildings and extracted water from it. Restoration work is ongoing, and while a lot of the timbers have been replaced, there is still much of the original timberwork present, albeit badly charred. Finally, the volcanic rock, or tufo, that covered the site for 1700 years formed an airtight seal. As a consequence there are many well-preserved buildings, many with the upper stories still intact, and some excellent frescoes and mosaics on both walls and floors to be seen.

Herculaneum really gives you an idea of how ancient Romans lived. For the independent traveller there is an additional advantage over Pompeii. The congested streets around the excavations (it: scavi) mean that access for tour buses is impossible. Thus there are far fewer visitors to Herculaneum than Pompeii. You don't have to fight your way past hordes of other tourists in order to get into the buildings and you can explore the ruins at leisure without being overwhelmed by tour groups. These excavations also cover a much smaller site than do those of Pompeii and thus seeing the whole site is much less exhausting.

By bus
Frequent buses run to and from Naples.

By train
The Circumvesuviana trains take 25 minutes to get there from Naples and 40 minutes from Sorrento. To get to the ruins, get off at the station, from where you exit into a small square. Exit diagonally right (the only way out of the square) and walk 8 blocks downhill to the big arch - the ticket office & baggage check are about a further 2 minutes' walk though the arch (pick up bag 30 minutes before site closing).

There are two train stations in Ercolano. The Ercolano Scavi Circumvesuviana station is on the Sorrento-Naples line, but the trains on the Naples-Salerno stop at the Porticini/Ercolano station. The Herculaneum site is not signposted from the latter station.

By car
Herculaneum is on the Autostrada from Naples to Salerno. There is a toll of €2 for using any part of this stretch of highway. Parking is not easy to find, particularly the type of parking you will want if your car is full of suitcases. Try the parking area behind the police station, just one block southeast of the entrance to the excavations. (€1 an hour in advance).

See
The section below provides a brief summary of what can be seen.



At the ruins, be sure to see:





Do
Don't be afraid to wander around. There's still a lot of character to the ruins from the city it once was, and you never know what you'll find.

Tour
PompeiIn info@pompeiin.com +39 3284134719 offers itineraries at the ancient Herculaneum lasting minimum 2 hours and covering all the highlights of the city such as Northern Cardo (road oriented north–south), the House of the Skeleton, Thermopolium (restaurant food), Men's Thermal Bath, Temple of Augustali, Forum (main square), House of the Black Saloon, House of Neptune and Amphitrite, House of Bel Cortile, the Samnite House, the House of the Wooden Partition, the Bakery, the Gym, the Home of the Bucks, the Marina gate, terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus and the beach. The guides are locals, are licensed, and have degrees in archaeology; they are able to provide tours for kids and disabled people, and with their vast knowledge of ancient history and society are capable of making the ancient Herculaneum come to life.

Buy
The ticket office to the site also has an excellent book shop offering a wide range of guides and maps.

If you also plan to visit Pompeii buy the multi-site ticket - it is marginally cheaper that way. Also EU citizens under 24 or over 60 can get reduced admission if they can prove their age - so take your passport.

Eat
There are cake and pizza shops lining the street from the train station to the site.

Take your own food to the site, there's only one vending machine, and that's mostly for drinks.

Drink
In ancient Herculaneum, you could buy wine at Ad Cucumas. Nowadays, you are best off bringing water with you, and make sure you take your empty bottles with you when you leave the excavations.

Sleep
Herculaneum's excavations and the MAV museum can easily be seen in a leisurely day. Most visitors stay in Naples or Pompeii, or even take a day trip from further afield. The town of Herculaneum has few attractions that would justify an overnight stay.



Stay safe
The excavations of Herculaneum are in an area of some economic deprivation, so watch your belongings!

Go next

 * Take the Circumvesuviana commuter train to any of the following destinations:
 * The grand city of Naples
 * The nearby Roman town of Pompeii, which was destroyed at the same time
 * The Vesuvius Natural Reserve, buses leave from the Circumvesuviana station
 * The ruined Villae at Oplontis and Sora
 * The lovely town of Sorrento: from here you can take boats to Capri (also from Naples), and go to the stunning Amalfi Coast