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 After sailing from Venice around the boot of Italy, Gail and I awoke Monday morning to find the pretty Sorrento peninsula to the south, mighty Mount Vesuvius looming to the east, and the idyllic Island of Capri beyond the Gulf of Naples to the west. 

Founded in the 6^th century B.C. by the Greeks and conquered by the Romans a century later, Naples has long been coveted for its beautiful surroundings, temperate climate and large, protected bay. In fact, many wealthy patricians and merchants built summer villas in the region, including two Roman emperors. 

 While ports like Livorno (for Pisa and Florence) and Civitavecchia (for Rome) get more attention, we love Naples because it’s a great jumping off point for a wide variety of outstanding shore excursions. For example, Naples is just a short ferry ride across the bay from the picturesque island of Capri; it’s the starting point for tours along the spectacular Amalfi Coast; it’s next door to the cliff-side town of Sorrento; and it sits right on the edge of two sites that are nearly 2,000 years old - the amazing ancient ruins of the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  

Luckily, we’ve been to Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii before, so our choice for an adventure ashore this time was between the Amalfi coast and Herculaneum. We were tempted by Amalfi, but at about $200 per person for the day-long bus trip along the coast, it was beyond our budget.  So we settled for the ruins of Herculaneum ($69 per person), which is like saying we settled for an evening at the Waldorf Astoria in New York instead of the Paris Ritz-Carlton. In other words, no matter what you do in Naples, you can’t go wrong! 

Now if you’re curious like us, you might be wondering what the difference is between the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. After all, they were both Roman towns near the Bay of Naples that were destroyed in 79 A.D. by a massive eruption of the still active Mt. Vesuvius.  

Pompeii was a large commercial centre of some 20,000 people on the south slope of the volcano.  It was destroyed quickly by volcanic ash and lava from the eruption, leaving little of the original city intact except for some stone walls, main streets, a few frescoes, and a handful of statues.  

Herculaneum, on the other hand, was a small resort town of some 5,000 souls on the northwest slope of the Vesuvius, and it was destroyed by boiling mud that slid down the mountain and entombed everything in its path under many metres of earth. As a result, while the ruins of Herculaneum are much smaller than Pompeii, they are much more intact and better preserved. In fact, some of the buildings still have their upper floors (a rarity in ancient ruins), and others have vaulted ceilings, frescoes on the walls, mosaics on the floors, interior features like baths, swimming pools, ovens, and toilets, and a few even have charred furniture. 

According to legend, the original town was founded by the mythical Greek hero Hercules upon his return from Iberia after performing the 10^th of his 12 terrible labours. The town was thus called Herakleion by the Greeks, and subsequently Herculaneum by the conquering Romans.

We spent 90 minutes walking through the ancient ruins, and then slipped outside with our Italian guide to one of the nearby cafes for a quick espresso. As we sipped our coffees, we asked Antonio why so many visitors to the region like us had always chosen Pompeii over Herculaneum, even though the latter had more to offer, was easier to navigate, and was far less crowded. 

“It’s only in the last 10 years that people have started to take notice of Herculaneum,” he told us. “Very few cruise lines offer excursions here. And since most tourists have only heard of Pompeii, that’s where they go.” 

We used to be one of those tourists. We’re glad that we’re not anymore.  

Next, the port of Civitavecchia for Rome.

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