The archaeological area of Pompeii is an extraordinary place, in my opinion. I came back, four years after my first visit, and I could not be happier.
– How to get there: very simple, the directions are there. From the highway you have to exit at Pompeii south, and in 2 minutes you get to the archaeological area (follow the signs, you will find it on the left);
– Car park: there are many paid parking (average cost 3 euros per hour) and the blue stripes along the road (I admit not having checked the price);
– Casher desks: there are several, and there are no significant differences between the counters.
– Entrance Ticket: it costs 13 euros (not 11 as written on a sign next to the ticket office). Apparently, there are also a lot of the discounts cases.
– Audio guides: they cost 5 euros each and, at the ticket office where I bought the ticket, they asked to pay by cash;
– Maps: if you take an audio guide you are entitled to a plan (only one even if you take two audio guides). You can, of course, take one even if you don’t pay to have an audio guide. Regarding the path to follow there is not a “general rule valid for all”, it depends a lot on your interests and how long you want to stay into the site (you can also spend a whole day if you wish). I will only recommend deciding a rough path before starting, deciding where
to start and where you want to end and then turn based on this.For example, we started from the buildings near the Basilica, we went to the ancient baths and the forum and then headed towards the Villa of the Mysteries. Along the way back we moved to the house of the tragic poet, the villa of the faun and the area of the homes (I recommend them, they are merely splendid). Our last stop was at the ancient amphitheatre that I expected to be more significant (I had never seen it before, and my imagination betrayed me). The thing that struck me most in Pompeii, this time as the first visit, is how this archaeological site can show and
understand the life that took place in this ancient city. In my opinion, this is a site that must be understood and enjoyed very calmly. To fully understand Pompeii, in my modest opinion, you have to take it easy, walk quietly without prejudices and ideas (strange or not) in the head to observe everything in detail. One thing that struck me, in a negative, was to see how many artefacts were kept locked in “warehouses” crammed into various boxes rather than being exposed in any way to the public.
Why do I say that this fact negatively hit me? Because in many countries, probably, they would have set up an exhibition of archaeological finds even having very few artefacts available and here, however, are jealously guarded and almost hidden from the curious visitor eyes. The works around the site are (always) a lot, and I have the impression that, unfortunately, we will never end up finding barriers and hidden places from the restoration work. I will have to, sooner or later, give me a reason even if I regret to know that visitors will always find something impossible to see even from outside. If you’ve never been there, I suggest you visit Pompeii during a trip to Naples and its surroundings: you will go back in time and understand and understand the structure of the ancient cities.