Pompeii, Italy is one of the coolest places I’ve been. Rich in untold stories, the whole Pompeii city is a walk-in museum. If you have FOMO on all the cool houses to visit, this one is for you.
History of Pompeii
Pompeii is an ancient city dating all the way back to the 6th century. A bustling city full of trade and rich citizens, the city thrive. In 79AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, engulfing Pompeii and the whole area in thick ash and burning hot lava, burying everyone and everything. In 1738, workers building the castle for King of Naples, Charles of Bourbon, rediscovers Pompeii and excavation begins to recover precious remains of the city. Even till today, historians and archaeologists are constantly discovering new parts of the history.
Catch my vlog on Pompeii here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbN1VkqGV-8
Tickets and Guide
Pompeii entrance ticket cost €22 (as of 14 October 2023). It is free on 2 June (Republic Day) and 1st Sunday of every month.
Audio guide and tour guide are additional costs. I personally think that the tour guide will be worth it because they gave a lot of insights beyond what the free signs and online audio guide provide.
Free online audio guide is available too, check it out here.
There are places beyond the city to visit too if you have more than 1 day to visit.
Words to know
| Italian | English |
| Compluviums | Square opening in the roof of ancient Roman house |
| Impluvium | Pool to catch rainwater from the open ceiling |
| Basilica | Church |
| Frescos | Paintings on the wall |
Human and Animal Casts
You can find human and animal casts around the city, in museums. Many casts are also loaned to museums all around the world.
The Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli, designed a method to forever preserve the last moments of Pompeiians. As the organic matter of the body decay, it leaves a cavity in the harden volcanic ash. He poured plaster in the cavity, preserving the remaining bones in the plaster cast, along with the shape of the person or animal.
It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the final moments of desperation and plea to save themselves. There was even a recent discovery of people remains, believed to be slaves, chained to a structure, unable to free themselves from the catastrophe.
Format of this Pompeii Guide
There are many notable places to visit in Pompeii. If you only have a day and are enthusiastic in exploring as much as you can, this is for you. I will cover the notable common spaces in the city, followed by all the notable houses.
The map marked out every house and building, but not every building allows visitors to enter. It is hard to see which house can be visited and it might change over time depending on the restoration work being done at the time of visit.
Navigating Pompeii with the Map
There are 9 regions in Pompeii, numbered in roman numerals from I to IX. The city is built with a grid layout. Each attraction is numbered in decimal system (1,2,3, etc).
The trouble I had when I visited was that my English language map has the name in English while the signs in the park are Italian. Some of the words are not as straight forward to self-translate, so I hope this guide helps!
Attractions and Houses to see in Pompeii
Must Visit Main Attractions
PORTA MARINA E CINTA MURARIA | MARINA GATE AND WALLS
2 Region VII
The exit gate use to lead out to the sea. The most impressive gate in Pompeii, there are 2 roads, with one higher for horses and pack animals, and one for pedestrians. This is the entrance into city for us now. You will get to experience the steep incline entering the city.
FORO | FORUM
6a Region VII
The main area for public buildings, the crowd in the square makes you feel like you really stepped into a time machine, in a universe 2000 years ago .
SANTUARIO DI VENERE | SANCTUARY OF VENUS
1 Region VIII
A huge artificial terrace that you can see as you leave through the exit.
BASILICA
2 Region VIII
A huge building of 1500 square meters, it is used in justice public administration. Dated to 130-120 BC, it is the oldest building type in the entire Roman world.
ANTIQUARIUM | MUSEUM
19 Region VIII
Contains artefacts and more human casts, as well as a cast of a horse.
Fun fact, if a glass artefact is bent, it was found on the 2nd floor and if it intact, it was found on the first floor. That is because the heat from the lava and ash melt the glass on the 2nd floor, and by the time the ash reaches the first floor, it has already cooled to below the melting point of glass. Isn’t that so cool?
AMPHITHEATER | ANTIFITEATRO
5 Region II
LUPANAR | LUPANARE
18 Region VII
A brothel with frescos on the walls for customers to choose their desired services. The workers were Greek and Oriental slaves who earned meagre salaries and worked in pretty shitty conditions.
VILLA OF THE MYSTERIES | VILLA DEI MISTERI
19 Region VI
One of the house spotting the most detailed and colorful frescos in all of Pompeii. Believed to be a cult house, nobody can pinpoint which cult this was and why the layout was so, thus the name Villa of the Mysteries.
TERME STABIANE | STABIAN BATHS
16 Region VII
A huge bath house, with cold, medium and hot baths, and split into men and women quarters. The heating system with pipes is so fascinating to imagine.
TERME SUBURBANE | SUBURBAN BATHS
1 Region VII
A private baths right before the Marina Gate entrance, the baths also spots a locker room of erotic paintings.
LARGE PALAESTRA | PALESTRA GRANDE
6 Region II
An ancient school where young minds were given education. The space also hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions of artefacts and more.
When I visited, they had an exhibition of sensual art pieces of Pompeii.
FORO TRIANGOLARE | TRIANGULAR FORUM
8 Region VIII
LARGE THEATRE | TEATRO GRANDE
10 Region VIII
A theatre built on the natural slope of the hill.
Torre X Look Out Point
Region VI
THERMOPOLIUM
5 Region VI
A place selling hot food and drinks on the main street of Pompeii.
TEMPIO DI ISIDE | TEMPLE OF ISIS
14 Region VIII
Said to be visited by Mozart with his father in 1770, and inspired the scenes of his first performance “Magic Flute” in Vienna in 1791.
SANCTUARY OF APOLLO | SANTUARIO DI APOLLO
5 Region VII
The oldest place of worship along the walk in from the entrance.
MENSA PONDERARIA
6b Region VII
An area where ancient Romans used as a counter to check for capacity measurements.
Must Visit Houses
HOUSE OF SIRICO | CASA DI SIRICO
17 Region VII
A large house near the city center, they displayed one of the first human casts ever made here.
HOUSE OF OCTAVIUS QUARTIO | CASA DI OCTAVIUS QUARTIO
1 Region II
A massive house with a huge garden.
HOUSE OF THE MENANDER | CASA DEL MENANDRO
7 Region I
One of Pompeii’s richest house, believed to be of a person in politics.
HOUSE OF THE FAUN | CASA DEL FAUNO
1 Region VI
One of the most famous and richest houses in Pompeii, the house is notable for the Faun statue in the middle, the famous mosaic of the decisive battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius and a mosaic inscription of “HAVE”, latin for “welcome”.
HOUSE OF THE VETTII | CASA DEI VETTII
11 Region VI
Owned by a pair of brothers believed to be ex-slaves, then worked their way to wealth from trading. The house spots some of the best frescos with vibrant colors and a room of erotic paintings.
VILLA OF DIOMEDE | VILLA DI DIOMEDE
18 Region VI
A house with 3 levels with a garden and pools facing the ancient coastline. Talk about a huge beach house with a seaview? A humongous house of 3500 square meters.
HOUSE OF THE DIOSCURI | CASA DEI DIOSCURI
10 Region VI
HOUSE OF THE ORCHARD OR THE FLORAL CUBICLES | CASA DEL FRUTTETO
13 Region I
This house boasts frescos of beautiful plants and flowers on a black background which was so beautiful.
HOUSE OF THE TRAGIC POET | CASA DEL POETA TRAGICO
4 Region VI
The interior of the house was closed when I visited, but you can spot this cute mosaic of a dog at the front of the house. Dogs are truly man’s best friend throughout the ages of time.
HOUSE AND THERMOPOLIUM OF VETUTIUS PLACIDUS | CASA E THERMOPOLIUM DI VETUTIUS PLACIDUS
12 Region I
An ancient shophouse, with a shop on the first floor selling hot food and drinks, and a house at the back.
FULLERY OF STEPHANUS | FULLONICA DI STEPHANUS
3 Region I
A production facility to wash dirty laundry and fabric that has just been threaded. The people working in this facility were mostly slaves who worked hours. They places liquid containing urine to treat the fabrics.
THERMOPOLIUM OF ASELLINA | THERMOPOLIUM DI ASELLINA
6 Region IX
A restaurant named after a girl working in it, with her name inscribed on the wall.
HOUSE OF MARCUS LUCRETIUS IN VIA STABIANA | CASA DI MARCO LUCREZIO SU VIA STABIANA
1 Region IX
The most characteristic part of the house is the marble fountain overlooking a garden.
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