Herculaneum Question

[cadreamer]

Andym - or anyone who has been to Herculaneum

Do they have anything there to help you know what you are seeing? Did you find any info on the web? There is lots about Pompeii but I can't find anything about the Herculaneum site and what the ruins were at the time of the volcano. I think it was more of a vacation spot in those days. An interesting book(fiction) I just read is Pompeii by R. Harris.

Thanks.

[Queenk2]

Yes, It was a resort. When you go, they have a wonderful audio guide to rent. The cost was minimal. I knew about Herculaneum simply because I teach history.Pompeii was much larger, but the ruins are not as well preserved as in herculaneum. Pompeii was covered in burning ash whereas, heculaneum was covered with mud...hence the remains of wooden objects at herculaneum.

Karen

[wwinfl91]

We were in Herculaneum in 2003 when we did a Golden Princess cruise in the Med. We also went to Pompeii and museum of Archeology in Naples that day. It was in July and extremely hot more so in Herculaneum than at Pompeii because it sits in an excavation like a quarry and no breezes get in.

 

They give you a small brochure when you pay your admission to go in and had some other books on sale that had more detail but we elected to go with the brochure only which included a map.

 

The total area is relatively small that has been cleared but it is extremely interesting and quite different from Pompeii in many ways. Because it was covered by mud and lava flowing into it, many of the roofs and upper stories of the buildings survived here where almost none did in Pompeii which was covered from above by pumice and ash.

 

Here are a couple of web sites with info on Herculaneum including one which has a "virtual tour" of the site.

 

http://www2.pompeiisites.org/database/pompei/pompei2.nsf/555FFD09471662B6C1256D400052DB80/3CB7F9F3EE8E809AC1256F19004A3A7D?OpenDocument

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum

 

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Campania/Herculaneum-151419/TravelGuide-Herculaneum.html

 

http://www.romanherculaneum.com/

 

Herculaneum was more a vacation town for wealthy Romans who came down for long weekends on the coast.

 

Have a great next cruise and enjoy your visit to Herculaneum.

[MercedMike]

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Herculaneum through the ship's excursion. While Pompeii was buried under lava, Herculaneum was buried under 75 feet of mud. It is not large in area, although it is quite a walk down the ramp into the site (and MORE of a walk back up!) There are lots of wonderful frescoes and such, and we saw all sorts of buildings including the public bathhouse and public latrine!

 

There are a couple of pictures on my Mediterranean Cruise page that will give you sort of a feel for it.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Hlitner]

We stopped in Herculanium on this past Mothers Day (my wife loves ruins) while staying along the Amalfi coast for a too short 6 days. The admission price is 10 Euros although you can get a combination ticket for Pompeii?Herculanium for 18 Euros. You will need some kind of guide to fully enjoy the ruins, whether you pick up a guide at the entrance (possible) or rent the audio recording (a darn good option). We tried to listen in on a local guide and he very tactfully walked over to us and ask if we were interested in becoming part of his small group (for a price of course). Its hard to compare Pompeii to Huculanium because they are very different, but both are also quite interesting. Pompeii is certainly more extensive, but Herculanium is slightly better preserved.

 

Hank

[cadreamer]

Thank you all very, very much. I enjoyed the pictures and the web sites and am now ready for our visit to Herculaneum.

[Andym]

cadreamer.

You get a very good guide book and map free when you pay. Behind you at the pay desk is a little room where you collect the map and guide. It is in lots of languages, just pick up the english one. The guide takes you around, house/buiding by house and had a good description of each place you visit. this is the same description as on the audio guide. If you wish you can join a small group by the pay booth, the guy last year wnated 10 euros per person. It never ever seems busy at Heculaneum. The reason that it is so much smaller than Pompeii is because a city has been built on top of it and a great deal of herculaneum is under the modern city.

 

Google Earth 40.48.21.52 N14.20.50.13 E

 

I have some photos here

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/andym888

 

 

Andy