![\"Plaster](\"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Plaster-mold-in-Pompeii-300x225.jpg\")
Pompeii is not one of those places.<\/p>\nWelcome to Campania,\u00a0a region of Italy\u00a0known for Sofia Loren,\u00a0buffalo mozzarella,\u00a0Nutella farms and the\u00a0best pizza in the world.\u00a0Densely populated\u00a0cities and zipping\u00a0Fiats fleck the coastal\u00a0hills surrounding the\u00a0region\u2019s notorious Mt.\u00a0Vesuvius, but beneath\u00a0the shadow of the\u00a0volcano lies a civilization\u00a0untouched by the\u00a0stamp of time.<\/p>\n
Some popular tourist attractions\u00a0seem overrated, with long lines,\u00a0kitschy souvenirs and red tape\u00a0blocking your path just when things\u00a0start to get interesting.<\/p>\n
Pompeii is not one of those places.<\/p>\n
As you enter the city, your wildest\u00a0expectations are soon exceeded. The\u00a0mere expanse of it is unimaginable:\u00a0a grand total of 163 acres of pure\u00a0Ancient Roman ruin. An amphitheater,\u00a0a bakery, a piazza\u2014all the\u00a0elements of modern Italian life can\u00a0be found within this over-sized time\u00a0capsule, echoing the ancient Roman\u00a0traditions that have remained with\u00a0the region for millennia.<\/p>\n
Visitors walk around the ruins at\u00a0will, so intact that you often forget\u00a0they\u2019re ruins at all and perhaps\u00a0believe for half a second that you\u2019ve\u00a0been transported back to Ancient\u00a0Rome. Most of the walls are still\u00a0standing, the tops skimmed off long\u00a0ago![\"pompeii](\"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/pompeii-10-1099-300x225.jpg\")
. With or without a guide, you\u00a0can climb into all the nooks and\u00a0crannies, pantries and alleyways,\u00a0even the occasional cellar with\u00a0hardly any limitations. Explore the\u00a0entire village, unearthing frescoes,\u00a0earthenware jugs, ancient ovens,\u00a0fountains, wells and the other\u00a0treasures of Pompeii\u00a0as you go.<\/p>\n
Yet the most impressive pieces of\u00a0the city are the citizens of ancient\u00a0Pompeii left behind. Morbid as\u00a0it may seem, it is a humbling\u00a0experience to see shelf after shelf of\u00a0the human remains, fortified with\u00a0plaster to demonstrate their final\u00a0pose as volcanic ash swept over their\u00a0hometown. The bodies not only\u00a0demonstrate the scientific phenomenon\u00a0of such long-term preservation,\u00a0but bring the civilization of\u00a0Pompeii to life, making it more real\u00a0and emotionally provocative than\u00a0any other ancient relic to be found\u00a0in the world.<\/p>\n
Want to visit the ruins of\u00a0Pompeii? Check out this itinerary<\/a><\/strong> or call 1.888.310.7120 to start planning!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome to Campania,\u00a0a region of Italy\u00a0known for Sofia Loren,\u00a0buffalo mozzarella,\u00a0Nutella farms and the\u00a0best pizza in the world.\u00a0Densely populated\u00a0cities and zipping\u00a0Fiats fleck the coastal\u00a0hills surrounding the\u00a0region\u2019s notorious Mt.\u00a0Vesuvius, but beneath\u00a0the shadow of the\u00a0volcano lies a civilization\u00a0untouched by the\u00a0stamp of time. Some popular tourist attractions\u00a0seem overrated, with long lines,\u00a0kitschy souvenirs and red tape\u00a0blocking your path just when Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[345,58,17,250,128],"class_list":["post-6014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-explorica-news","tag-educational-tours","tag-educational-travel","tag-italy","tag-science-class-trips","tag-student-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6014"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6020,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6014\/revisions\/6020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"100_4634](\"http:\/\/www.explorica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/100_4634-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Though still considered active,\u00a0the only action Mt. Vesuvius shows\u00a0nowadays is a little smoke at its\u00a0peak, occasionally casting a gray\u00a0fog over Naples and surrounding\u00a0communities. Yet the 4,203-foot\u00a0volcano, visible from miles away,\u00a0serves as a visible reminder of the\u00a0transient nature of life. One can\u2019t\u00a0help but think that its presence has\u00a0molded the people of Campania\u00a0into the society they are today\u2014a\u00a0tough, no-nonsense lot with a zest\u00a0for life and a passion for food,\u00a0friends and family.<\/p>\n