7 facts about Pompeii that you maybe didn’t know!

Pompeii, one of the most famous archaeological sites in Italy (and which is the setting for our escape rooms), with a lot of information available. Many have read them in history books. There are, however, curiosities that perhaps not everyone knows. We have selected some of these.

Earthquakes

Before the famous eruption of 79 AD, the city had been devastated by numerous of earthquakes. However, the inhabitants did not connect them with a possible eruption. They did not know that there was a volcano on the mountain so close to their city.

Changing shapes

The shape of the volcano, then, was very different from today. It was in fact thinking about a mountain without crater.

Important guests

Pompeii, before the eruption, was a destination city for many important personalities. It is thought that in the area the emperor Nero had a villa. His wife Poppea, however, was originally from that part of Campania, near the city.

Other famous eruptions

The eruption of 79 AD has objectively passed into history. However, scholars have discovered that the area was devastated by an equally terrible volcanic eruption in 1800 bC.

Different dates

In 2014, the famous science divulger – and for some a real sex symbol – Alberto Angela placed the date of the eruption of Pompeii not in August but in October. Why this change? At the time, the son of the famous Piero responded to the various protests by recalling that several archeologists believed that the date of the eruption was in October, or at least in the autumn, because typical fruits of autumn were found in homes and braziers on.

The frescoes of the Villa of the Mysteries

Despite the lascivious content of the frescoes of the Villa of the Mysteries may suggest to Pompeii as a paradise city of the pleasures of the flesh, with the excavations was found a single brothel.

The importance of plaster casts

The plaster casts not only allowed to reconstruct the inhabitants’ bodies, but also to have clear ideas about the daily life of the inhabitants. Thanks to them, it was possible to know what was eaten and the necessary information about furnishings used at home.

That said, discover the atmosphere of Pompeii with our dedicated rooms!