A bleak reminder of the malign forces that lie deep in the interior Vesuvius, Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) is Europe’s most compelling archaeological site and one of Italy’s most visited visitor attractions. Each year about 2.5 million people pour in to meander the ghostly shell of what was once a thriving marketable centre
Its appeal goes past tourism, though. From an archaeological point of view, it’s priceless. Much of the value lies in the fact that it wasn’t simply blown away by Vesuvius: rather it was buried under a layer of lapilli (burning pumice stone), as Pliny the Younger describes in his celebrated description of the eruption.
About 1km down the road in modern Pompeii, the Santuario della Madonna del Rosario is a famed pilgrim destination.
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