Founded by Greek settlers around 470 BC, the city of Naples has also been inhabited by the Ancient Romans, Normans, Napoleonic French and the Spanish to name just a few.
If you're thinking of a trip to this popular city or you want to use it as a base to travel elsewhere along the Amalfi coast, you can find cheap air fare tickets or discount airlines to Naples here.
The nearby site of the ancient town of Pompeii is one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Naples. After Mount Vesuvius erupted in August 79AD, the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum disappeared under volcanic mud and ash. Thousands were killed.
The ancient site was re-discovered gradually by small clues from 1503 onwards, with the actual location of Pompeii confirmed in 1763 by the discovery of an inscription. Many further excavations (and plundering of artefacts) followed. British architecture and decoration in the 18th century was particularly influenced by the classical finds at Pompeii.
Today the site, with its rich opulent red and saffron yellow frescoes (some rather saucy), huge flagstones, detailed mosaics and columns reveal the history of Ancient Roman city life to enthralled visitors. However, much of it still remains to be discovered underground. The sites were granted UNESCO world heritage status in 1997.
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