Two-hour guided tour of Herculaneum

Herculaneum was founded, according to tradition, by Hercules. Like Pompeii the Roman town was buried during the 79 AD eruption of Mt Vesuvius. Numerous craftsmen and many rich and cultured patricians were drawn to the resort of Herculaneum because of its beautiful setting, overlooking the Bay of Naples. In 1997 Herculaneum was included in UNESCO's World heritage List. Herculaneum is broadly divided into five sections which are delineated by the two main streets (decumani) and three other thoroughfares (cardi). The town has various examples of different types of dwellings, all of which were overwhelmed by the sea of mud seeped into every nook. The particular interest of a visit to Herculaneum is that all timber structures (frameworks, beams, doors, stairs and partitions) were preserved by a hard shell of solidified mud, whereas at Pompeii they were consumed by fire. The houses were empty, but death caught up with the inhabitants as they tried to flee the city or make for the sea.