Where is Pompeii?

The ruins of Pompeii lie in the Campania region of southern Italy, south-east of Naples and at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. In AD 79 the volcano erupted and buried the Roman town under several metres of ash and pumice, preserving it in remarkable detail. Systematic excavations began in 1748, and roughly two-thirds of the 66-hectare city has been uncovered so far. In the 1860s archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli poured plaster into hollows left by bodies in the ash, creating the famous casts of victims. Today the site draws millions of visitors a year, and new discoveries are still being made.