The seaside resort of Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of the volcano Vesuvio. It was found under meters of ash for centuries and that has allowed its great state of conservation. But the truth is that the tremendous Vesuvius not only destroyed Pompeii but also destroyed the city of Herculaneum.
Herculaneum was a city in the Campania region and like Pompeii succumbed to the eruption of the Veusbius in AD 79. In fact, Herculaneum is closer to the volcano than Pompeii and it was even a richer city. Today it is known that the pyroclastic flow, those hyper-hot explosions that emerged with an uncontrollable force from the volcano, enveloped the city in an instant annihilating the citizens of which not even the skeletons of the people who were outdoors at the time of the eruption.
Excavations at Herculaneum began in the middle of the XNUMXth century and today together with Pompeii today is a World Heritage. The last great archaeological discovery in the ruins of Herculaneum occurred in 1980 when hundreds of skeletons of people who had taken refuge in boathouses near the port of the city were found. The truth is Herculaneum is better preserved than Pompeii Well, there are houses, hot springs, taverns and roads almost in perfect condition.
We can see mosaics, frescoes, decorated floors, and some elegant villas that look at the sea, like the call Villa of the Papyri which used to be the summer home of Julius Caesar's own father-in-law, among them. How to get to Herculaneum? By train is the most usual way. You take it in Termini heading to Naples and from that city you take another that takes you to Ercolano scavi. Calculate two and a half hours since It is 230 kilometers from Rome.
Yes, there is a combined ticket to visit the ruins of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Oplontis.