All - a recent article in Smithsonian magazine indicated that much of Pompeii is not available for viewing and in bad condition. We are traveling to Italy next week and was wondering whether we should consider changing our visit to Pompeii to Herculaneum. What say you Rick Steves savy travelers?
Posted by
Reading, PA, USA
1637 posts
Actually I read just the opposite. This article, "http://www.ansa.it/english/news/lifestyle/arts/2015/07/06/herculaneum-closed-to-tourists_f069f70d-22bc-474e-9455-089d9139d94b.html", was posted in the News section of Rick's website. I says Herculaneum is being shut down because of lack of personnel.
Posted by
693 posts
There is more than enough to see at Pompeii to keep you going for a full day if you so choose. Hiring a guide can be a good choice as your attention will be drawn to many things you would otherwise walk past and not fully appreciate or understand.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4424 posts
Oh...just closed for the day! Whew! Of course the people lined up to purchase tickets weren't happy at all :-(
I've been to Pompeii since the damage referred to (the Schola); while a lot of Pompeii is off-limits (too dangerous, under restoration, etc.) it's like saying your entire neighborhood is off-limits, but the rest of Seattle is open for business. There's still LOTS to see and wander through.
Lack of (proper) conservation of these sites is a long-standing problem. Nothing new here. Nor is it limited to these two sites...far from it!
They're both great sites; perhaps choose the one closest to you? They're different sites, as you read in the article. I might recommend Herculaneum if forced to...it may require less imagination...and I would definitely recommend a visit to the Naples museum to see the treasures pulled from these sites.
They're both HUGE sites, so don't worry about feeling short-changed at either one of them ;-)
(And the closure at Herculaneum could always happen at Pompeii...or Ostia Antica...or any museum...any place that becomes short-staffed on occasion.)
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I have been to both. They are both excellent . However Heraculeum has now been closed due tomlack of staff apparently. So Pompeii is it.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4424 posts
I've only seen this one article (link in the first post), repeated once in another archeological publication, and it says they closed one Monday afternoon due to someone calling in sick and thus they became severely understaffed. This sounds like Herculaneum was closed for something like 6 hours.
Is there another article out there that says something different?