Built around 70 BC, Pompeii's impressive amphitheatre predates the Colosseum in Rome by about 150 years. This makes it one of the earliest permanent stone amphitheatres ever constructed since before this, most gladiatorial games were held in temporary wooden structures. The amphitheatre is around 135 meters long and 104 meters wide, and could hold approximately 20,000 spectators, which is remarkable considering Pompeii's population was only around 10,000-20,000 people. This suggests that games here drew crowds from surrounding towns and the countryside.
The amphitheatre hosted gladiatorial combats, wild animal hunts (known as venationes), and various other spectacles. Evidence of the gladiatorial culture is found throughout Pompeii, including a large gladiator barracks (ludus) nearby, complete with weapons, armour, and even the skeletal remains of gladiators. Located in the eastern part of the archaeological site, the amphitheatre remains remarkably well-preserved and is one of the highlights of visiting Pompeii. Visitors can walk through the corridors, climb the seating areas, and stand in the arena itself, getting a vivid sense of what it was like to attend these ancient spectacles.
Towering over the Amalfi Coast, Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano with a turbulent history. Its massive eruption in 79 AD sent shockwaves around the Roman world, burying the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and rock. Nowadays, these cities have become world-renowned archaeological sites, offering an unparalleled glimpse into ancient Roman life. The volcanic ash and lava from Vesuvius have also created incredibly fertile soil rich in minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium, thus creating ideal conditions for viticulture. Our private day tour from Pompeii explores the dramatic geology and history of Vesuvius, combining a guided tour of the spectacular Pompeii ruins with an archaeologist, followed by a winery visit including excellent local wine and food.
On your private 6-hour tour, you will:
Uncover the treasures of Mount Vesuvius on an exciting itinerary that weaves together the ancient history and volcanic beauty of Campania. With your professional driver at the wheel, you’ll depart directly from your hotel in Pompeii and cruise through the Italian countryside towards the slopes of the legendary volcano, where the past and present coexist in a landscape unlike any other.
Your day begins at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the world’s most astonishing window into daily life in the Roman Empire. With pre-booked access and the undivided attention of a private archaeologist guide, you’ll embark on a well-planned route through the city that time forgot. Your guide will lead you through the Marina Gate and onto cobbled streets still marked by ancient carriage wheels, past basilicas, bathhouses, bakeries, and grand villas, whose vivid frescoes and mosaics are miraculously preserved beneath volcanic ash.
You’ll peel back the layers of this once bustling port, imagine the spectacles that took place in the amphitheatre, and piece together the final hours before Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying the city in silence for nearly two millennia. Moving among the ruins, from the Forum to the House of the Faun, the Lupanar, and the haunting plaster casts of Pompeii’s inhabitants, your guide brings to life the stories of the ancient city, as well as the work of the generations of archaeologists who have worked tirelessly on the excavations from the 18th Century to the present day.
After the tour, you will rejoin your driver for a short, scenic transfer into the Vesuvius National Park, where fertile volcanic soils nurture some of Italy’s most distinctive wines. At an award-winning local winery nestled on the slopes of the volcano, you’ll be welcomed for a leisurely visit. As you stroll through the vineyards that cling to the black earth, you will learn how the mineral-rich terrain shapes the character of local vintages, including the celebrated Lacryma Christi, the “Tears of Christ” wine that has been produced here since ancient times.
Your visit culminates in a guided tasting of four wines, paired with a light yet delicious lunch of regional specialities all enjoyed with panoramic views of the vine-covered crater. As the day draws to a close, your driver will be waiting to bring you back to your hotel, completing a journey that blends archaeological discoveries, stunning natural landscapes, and culinary delights. This private excursion offers an extraordinary glimpse into the soul of southern Italy, where history, geology, and gastronomy meet beneath the shadow of Vesuvius.
Explore the majestic ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, a once thriving and vibrant Roman port town on the bay of Naples. On 24 August 79 AD, the city suffered one of the most famous and deadliest volcanic eruptions in history, Mount Vesuvius. Thanks to the ash and lava flows that spewed from the Volcano, the ancient city remained preserved in volcanic rock for two thousand years. It is now one of the most complete, fascinating, and visited archaeological sites in the world.
On your private tour, you will:
Explore the amazing ruins of Pompeii - one of the busiest and most important trade and port towns for the ancient Romans, as well as a popular seaside resort. Your expert private guide will tell you all about the infamous eruption of Vesuvius in August 79 AD, which buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum – preserving them for two thousand years in lava, ash, and rubble.
Explore the original cobblestoned streets of Pompeii, with the carriage wheel and hoof indents still visible, with your guide who will bring the past back to life for you as you learn about the daily life and business of the Pompeiians. You'll visit the magnificent public bathhouses, walk through the various tepid, hot, and cold baths each opulently decorated in stucco and mosaic, and learn about the Romans' well-developed sense of hygiene.
Wander around the Forum with its temples and basilicas - public meeting houses, and see the fast food shops, the villas of the rich, and the apartments of the less well-off. Learn about the politics of the times as you wander past walls daubed with political graffiti, and admire colourful frescoes and mosaics in the grander buildings.
Take some moments to contemplate the deeply moving plaster casts of the people and animals who tragically lost their lives in the eruption. Learn everything that we know about the drama of that day, and also the fascinating stories of how Pompeii was rediscovered and excavated throughout the last century, and the ongoing work to discover more and preserve it for future generations.
Rediscovered after centuries buried under volcanic ash, Pompeii and Herculaneum are some of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the world, offering visitors a vivid glimpse of what life was like in Ancient Rome. Visiting these sites with a local archaeologist guide is a truly special experience, making sure you see the most important areas and offering fascinating insights into Roman history as well as the revolutionary techniques being used to make new discoveries.
On this 8-hour private tour, you will:
Delve into the stories and secrets of Ancient Rome on an unforgettable private journey through Pompeii and Herculaneum, two of the most extraordinary archaeological sites on Earth. With hotel pick-up and drop-off from Pompeii town and a private driver at your disposal, you’ll travel in comfort through the scenic Campanian countryside, discovering how a catastrophic natural disaster befell these neighbouring Roman cities on that fateful day in 79 AD, when Mount Vesuvius erupted and forever changed the course of history.
Your adventure begins in Herculaneum, smaller, wealthier, and more intimate than Pompeii, where your archaeologist guide will bring to life the daily rhythms of this seaside retreat for Rome’s elite. Thanks to the pyroclastic surge that buried the town in volcanic material, Herculaneum’s preservation is astonishing. You’ll wander through lavishly decorated villas adorned with vibrant frescoes and intricate mosaics, including the House of Neptune and Amphitrite and the House of the Deer, stroll beneath the colonnades of the Samnite House, and step inside the House of the Wooden Partition, where remarkably intact wooden fittings still stand. At the ancient beachfront, you’ll hear the poignant story of the hundreds who sought refuge there, only to be discovered centuries later. From Marco Nonio Balbo’s Terrace to the Temple of the Augustali, every stop reveals a new facet of Roman luxury, religion, and tragedy.
The afternoon unfolds in Pompeii, the larger and more bustling of the two cities, where your pre-booked entry ensures you make the most of every moment. Walking along the ancient Via dell’Abbondanza, you’ll pass bakeries, workshops, and taverns that seem frozen in time. Your guide will lead you through the Forum, the commercial and civic heart of Pompeii, surrounded by temples and public buildings, and into the Basilica, Macellum, and the beautifully preserved Baths. You’ll see the House of the Faun, one of the grandest homes of antiquity, and peek into a Thermopolium, the Roman equivalent of a fast-food counter. At the stunning amphitheatre, you can imagine the roar of ancient crowds; at the plaster casts of the victims, you’ll pause to reflect on the moment when life in Pompeii stood still.
Throughout the day, your archaeologist guide offers vivid commentary, not only recounting what happened, but also how we’ve come to know it. You’ll learn about the cutting-edge excavations and scientific techniques that continue to reveal new details about Roman society, architecture, and art.
Between sites, there will be time for a relaxed local lunch (at your own expense), with your guide happy to recommend authentic restaurants serving Neapolitan classics. By the end of your tour, as your driver returns you to your hotel, you’ll carry with you not only images of frescoes and ruins, but a sense of connection to the people who once walked these streets, and whose stories still echo beneath the shadow of Vesuvius.
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