Spend 24 hours exploring Italy’s ancient city of Herculaneum
When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, with Pompeii, the neighboring town of Herculaneum was also destroyed. The same ash that covered Pompeii kept the town hidden from mankind for centuries; the last moments of 6000 people were frozen under a hardcover of pumice and ash 12 to 30 meters high. The air tight covering protected it from plunderers and even the early methods of excavation, as a result the age-old artifacts and details were saved from the test of time. Though the weight of ash crushed the roofs, the lava filled the structures and supported the walls and roofs, as a result many homes have well-preserved doors and staircases, even organic matter which was missing in Pompeii.
The great thing about Pompeii and Herculaneum is that they have been restored to their original forms before the eruption, nothing has been removed or ripped away for an off-site museum. Visiting this open air museum is like stepping back in time – an experience that you should not miss while visiting Italy. The wooden furniture, skeletons, even well-preserved food, tells us a lot about the life in the ancient Herculaneum. The fact that the location is small and its attractions are easier to explore, many tourists choose Herculaneum over Pompeii. Make sure you rent a car because at the end of the day you will have to drive to nearby Naples or Sorrento to spend the night in a hotel.
01 Casa dell’Albergo
Casa dell’Albergo is said to be the place in Herculaneum that received the maximum damage because of the eruption. Casa dell’Albergo (English translation – ‘ The House of the Hotel’ ) is the biggest of all the homes found in this ancient town and archeologists say that before the eruption this Patrician villa was about to be converted into apartments for letting.
Excavated in the 19th Century, the place is sprawled over an entire block on the south end of Cardo III. Along the same street there are houses like the House of Argus (known for its wall paintings and a beautiful garden adorned with pillars), the House of the Skeleton, the House of Aristides and the House of the Genius.
02 House of Galba
Walk along Cardo III, halfway across the street there is a crossing point of Cardo III and Decumanus Inferior. Just beyond this point sits the beautiful House of Galba. The house is most famous for its peristyle – a continuous porch which has a pool in the shape of a cross.
It is difficult to say how the pool was used back then – for bathing, as a fish pond or a reservoir – but the shape of the pool is certainly its defining feature. Beyond the House of Galba the area is yet to be excavated.
03 Thermae (Baths)
Thermae, like other ancient structures, was uncovered in more recent excavations. Located along Decumanus Inferior, Thermae is the best example of well-preserved thermal baths from the ancient times with separate rooms for men and women. The men’s section has a domed pool (aka frigidarium) with mosaics of dolphins and the women’s section has a tepidarium with a floor decorated with geometric patterns. The place is in a very good condition – the extent of the preservation can be guessed from the fact that even some of the wooden shelves are still intact.
Right opposite to Thermae you will see the Cloth-Merchant’s Shop; you will be able to see its wooden press – fully restored.
04 Samnite House
Samnite House is Herculaneum’s oldest patrician mansion – as per the archaeological reports the house was about 300 years old at the time of the eruption. The house’s central hall is noted for its huge columns – which are considered iconic for the time when they were built – and the whole house is filled with beautiful frescos and rich stucco. Its tufa capitals are definitely the highlight.
There is one more house that you should check out – the House of the Wooden Partition; it is located diagonally opposite to Samnite House. It is just like Samnite House minus the colonnaded court; do check its bedrooms which are noted for wooden chests and bedsteads.
05 House of the Neptune Mosaic
House of the Neptune Mosaic is located on Cardo IV, right after the House of the Charred Furniture. It is on the other side of Decumanus Inferior and a bit further up Cardo IV.
The house gets its name from the mosaic of Neptune and Amphitrite – which is a rather well preserved piece of art from the old times, one of the many beautiful artworks of the house that belonged to a wealthy family.
Another notable feature of the house is the courtyard at the back of the house and interestingly, it also has a nymphaeum, a grotto-like monument – a common occurrence in Greece and Rome. The mosaic – after which the house was named – is located right next to the nymphaeum.
06 House of the Bicentenary
The House of the Bicentenary is located opposite to Decumanus Inferior in Decumanus Maximus,the area which is still not completely excavated. One of the house’s stucco clearly shows that it once held a wooden Christian Cross. St Paul lies closeby and many believe that it was probably the meeting place for the initial converts, which if true, will make that wooden cross the oldest of its kind.
The House of the Bicentenary was named so because it was discovered in 1938, about 200 years from the date when the excavations originally started.
07 Palaestra and Shops
On Cardo V as you reach the end of Decumanus Maximus, there is an area which used to a market; from a dye shop to bakery and a weaver’s shop, this area has a series of shops that you can explore. In the bakery there are ovens and bronze baking pans which were used for making bread. In the same area, a couple of food shops were also uncovered where the excavators even found the organic remains of walnuts and chickpeas.
The huge area right behind the shops was used as a public field called Palaestra which was usually used for games.
08 House of the Deer
Another luxury villa, the House of the Deer is located on the southern end of Cardo V and consists of a central courtyard around which two storeys were built. This place has well-preserved walls embellished with frescos, mosaic & marble-chip floors, tables made of marbles and statues in the shape of deers. However, note that most of the things have been moved on to the on-site museum and the statues you find in the house are the replicas.
Just next to the House of the Deer lies the House of the Mosaic Atrium, a really roomy home which gives the impression of a cathedral – it has a room which is divided into three naves, something which is usually seen in cathedrals. It is one of its kind in Herculaneum.