Things To Do in Naples & Naples Airport Layover Ideas

The Naples National Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale) holds the largest Roman archaeological collection in the world, even bigger than the National Museum of Rome, and is a definite "must see". Its collection is astonishing considering both the quality and the quantity of the objects on display. The museum houses wall paintings and objects removed from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other excavation sites in the area. The well sign-posted Naples National Archaeological Museum secret room famously contains erotic sculptures, paintings and murals from Pompeii. All museum exhibit descriptions are in English and in Italian. Rent the audio guide (it's worth it for the 1st floor statue collection), or take a tour.

On August 24, 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted, burying the town of Pompeii in ash and soot, killing the 3000 people who had not already fled. Due to the unique nature of the ash, the city was preserved in its state from that fateful day. Today, Pompeii is an excavation site and outdoor museum of the ancient Roman settlement. Pompeii is one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in detail - everything from jars and tables, to paintings and people frozen in time, yielding. Together with neighbouring Herculaneum, which suffered the same fate, the sites provide an unprecedented opportunity to see how the people lived 2,000 years ago. Be sure to tour the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum nearby to the south of Naples. You can reach Pompeii in just 40 minutes via the Circumvesuviana train (Sorrento line) from the Naples Central train station. Better yet, take a tour.