What a great place to visit. Everyone goes to Pompeii but I'm glad we chose Ercolano Scavi. The buildings are more complete, the city is smaller, and I think it gave us a better view of life back in 79 AD. My son and I were amazed by the mosaics on the floor. I know they removed the original frescos and mosaics in Pompeii, but I'm not sure about Ercolano. We didn't have a map or information guide. We just had fun walking around. Its truly amazing how preserved this city is.
In this excavation site they found cloth and rope among other things. Findings such as this made this city an amazing discovery. The Romans certainly had an advanced system of building. I was amazed to find they used stairs to get to the second level of the houses. Even in the early pioneer years of the United States they still use ladders. The fast food establishments were fun to see. People would reach into a large terra-cotta jar fixed in a marble counter. The gardens were not as complete as Pompeii but still nice. My son commented that Pompeii was for the really rich while Ercolano was for the well-to-do. The rooms, he said, were smaller.
I walked around this small site looking for a good picture of Mt Vesuvius so I could get a feel for how far the lava and ash traveled to bury this town. I couldn't find the mountain. I realized why. This city is at a low point. Pompeii is on a hill (and it was still covered in 8 ft of pumice). Naples was truly built up around it. Its no wonder this city was buried with how low it is compared to the surrounding city. We followed a stone road only to be lead to a cement wall. We looked up into a relatively new apartment building (relative being newer than Ercolano Scavi).
There are audio guides in various languages. We didn't use them. We just took in the city for what it offered. There is also a bookstore to purchase a guide book. Again, we didn't bother. This city isn't as open to the sun as Pompeii is so it wasn't as hot. However, there is a place to purchase drinks and snacks. We took ours, purchased from a vendor at the Circumvesuvia train station. If you don't want to pay the entrance fee you can stand at the bridge that crosses the excavation to see some of the buildings.
Some tips:
Take the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi roughly 8 stops from Naples. It cost about 2.70 Euro round trip. Once leaving the train station take the street off to the right. You'll pass a traffic circle with a fountain. Keep heading down to the water, down the hill. There are signs to guide you. You'll notice an arch over the road which is actually the entrance to the walk bridge. The entrance area is further down the sidewalk. Entrance fees are reasonable if you're an EU citizen. I am not. You may be required to produce evidence of your citizenship. I paid 20 Euro for both my son and I. The 40 Euro was for 5 sites for three days. We didn't visit all three sites but they are all accessible by the Circumvesuviana. Its 11 Euro for a one day visit to each site.
Of course you can't leave the Naples area without getting a pizza. We stopped at the first pizzeria after the fountain. Since my son will only eat pasta and cheese when out and about I had to talk him into pizza with 4 cheese. It was good but we both agreed the crust was worth the entire pizza. They speak enough English so nothing was a problem with my limited Italian. They do appreciate a good effort in trying to speak the native tongue.
If you only have one day to spend seeing the effects of Mt Vesuvius I have to say this is the place to go. Pompeii is larger and more famous however, Ercolano is a better site to see to get a feel for the life back then. Everyone told me so and I have to agree. The town is also nicer. Not as much garbage on the roads.
