Tom Murray / Business Insider
- I took a 7-hour walking tour of the ancient ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum during Europe’s deadly heatwave in June.
- While both towns were buried by the same volcanic eruption, visiting them in the 21st century couldn’t have been a more contrasting experience.
- Scroll down to see why.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Despite its population’s annihilation almost 2,000 years ago, Pompeii’s streets still swell and hum with life every day of the year. Instead of Roman citizens, Pompeii now plays host to a constant flow of camera-snapping tourists from all corners of the globe.
The ancient ruins welcome some 15,000 visitors a day, but archaeologists are worried about the strain tourism is placing on this fragile site.
Pompeii is undoubtedly the most famous of Mt Vesuvius’ victims, but Herculaneum is also located just 15 kilometers away, and has all the appeals of antiquity that makes it’s larger relative so appealing.
I decided to book a 7-hour walking tour of the two cities on Airbnb Experiences in order to see how they compared. Unfortunately, I elected to do so in the midst of Europe’s deadly heatwave.
While both towns were home to similar societies and got buried by the same volcanic eruption, visiting them in the 21st century couldn’t have been a more contrasting experience.
Scroll down to see why.
I arrived at Pompeii at 9:45 a.m. sharp, which allowed time to get tickets before our tour began at 10.
Tom Murray / Business Insider
As an under-24 with a European passport, I got a massive and totally unexpected discount on my entry fee, paying €2 ($2) instead of the standard €15 ($17).
Wikimedia Commons
I’d booked a tour through Airbnb Experiences with Michele (pictured) who was an archaeologist as well as a guide for Pompeii and Herculaneum. I would fully recommend booking a guide when visiting these sites as, frankly, they’re big, and Michele was able to efficiently take us around the most interesting areas and illuminate their significance in a way that a pamphlet never could.
Tom Murray / Business Insider
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Tom Murray)