Tips for Travellers Podcast 119 : Herculaneum Naples Italy

by Gary Bembridge

While Pompeii is the more famous of the cities destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near Naples in 79AD, Herculaneum is the more fascinating in my view. In this podcast I continue my exploration of the area around Naples that was forever changed by the tremendous (and unexpected) eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In the previous podcast I discussed the volcano and Pompeii, and in this podcast I explore Herculaneum and provide my tips for travellers.

While on a first visit you probably will want to visit Pompeii as it is the more famous and larger of the cities excavated, I personally found Herculaneum more intriguing. The city was buried by a river of mud when the volcano erupted and was buried very deep below the new surface. A whole new town was eventually built over it and when it was first rediscovered it was explored and revealed by digging vast tunnels and caverns. Today less than half of the old city is now exposed and it is way below the surface of the modern landscape. As it was engulfed by mud it had less damage and was better preserved than Pompeii.

Listen to the podcast to find out more about the history and my tips: