Pompeii, located 15 miles south of Naples in the Italian region of Campania, was completely buried & destroyed during a catastrophic two-day volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79. The eruption also buried its sister city Herculaneum. (Pompeii was only one of a number of cities & towns located around the base of Mount Vesuvius in the 1st century.) The two buried cities were abandoned & eventually their names & locations were forgotten, until 1599 when they were accidentally found by an architect who was digging a new course for the River Sarno. But it was 150 years later before Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1738 by workmen working on the foundation of a summer palace for the King of Naples, & Pompeii was rediscovered 10 years later in 1748 during intentional excavations by a Spanish military engineer. The subsequent excavations revealed many intact buildings & wall paintings, & have provided extraordinary insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

A little history: One of the numerous myths that have surrounded Pompeii was that it was a completely intact city when rediscovered. But actually, the Pompeians who had escaped or survived the eruption had returned to their city when the ashes had cooled & removed some of the most precious treasures from the resort. (At that time of the eruption, the buried city, which likely had some 20,000 inhabitants, was a port located near the sea, & was used as a resort where many Romans had their holiday villas.) But they left plenty behind to be uncovered later & carted off to museums throughout Europe & America.

Evidence discovered during the archaeological digs suggested that the city had suffered from previous volcanic events, landslides or quakes. The inhabitants of Pompeii, as those of the area today, had long been used to frequent minor tremors. In fact, an earlier severe earthquake on February 5, 62, believed to have registered over 7.5 on the Richter scale, did considerable damage around the bay & particularly to Pompeii. The nearby cities of Herculaneum & Nuceria were also affected. Temples, houses, bridges, & roads were destroyed. It is believed that almost all buildings in the city of Pompeii were affected. In the time between 62 & the eruption in 79, some rebuilding was done, but some of the damage had still not been repaired at the time of the eruption in 79. It not known how many people left the city after the earthquake, but a considerable number did indeed leave the devastation behind & moved to other cities within the Roman Empire. Those willing to rebuild & take their chances in their beloved city moved back & began the long process of reviving the city.

Pompeii has been a popular tourist destination for centuries, By 2008, it was attracting almost 2.6 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular tourist sites in Italy. It is part of a larger Vesuvius National Park which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. Because of overuse & damage to the site, tourists are now encouraged to visit the other sites to reduce pressure on Pompeii. There is also a moratorium on farther excavations. Today, less than a third of all buildings open in the 1960s are available for public viewing. However, the sections of the ancient city that are open to the public are very interesting & visitors can easily spend hours exploring. (Bring a hat & water as there is little shade, & it’s dusty.)

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii

This one has a site map as well: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/pompeii/0754010029.html