Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

From Sorrento you can plan an excursion to the archaeological areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata— all listed among the 58 Italian sites protected by UNESCO on the World Heritage List. 
These cities were destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and have been extraordinarily preserved beneath a layer of volcanic ash.

Pompeii, located at the foot of the Vesuvius and less than 30 km from Sorrento, was a vibrant, bustling city and a thriving commercial and cultural centre. 
Walking along its paved streets it is like stepping into a time machine: houses, shops, theatres and temples perfectly preserved offer a snapshot of daily life in ancient Rome, while mosaics and frescoes tell stories of mythology, domestic life and more. 
Near Pompeii lies Torre Annunziata, a lively town built on the remains of ancient Oplontis — once an imperial and patrician city also buried by the 79 AD eruption. 
The most notable traces of that distant past are the still-functioning thermal spas and the archaeological excavations at Oplontis, where the Villa of Poppaea is located.

Herculaneum, smaller than Pompeii and about 40 km from Sorrento, offers a unique perspective on Roman life: its multi-storey residential buildings, remarkably well preserved, allow us to understand the architecture and layout of living spaces during the Roman imperial era; remains of furniture and household objects are also preserved and particularly evocative.

Each of these sites has its own uniqueness, and together they offer a remarkable overview of the history and culture of the area.