Ercolano between Vesuvius and its buried Roman streets

Ercolano in Campania is a coastal town south-east of Naples where an archaeological park reveals part of a Roman settlement preserved beneath volcanic deposits from Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The excavated streets of the ancient town, known in Latin as Herculaneum, run within the modern urban fabric of Ercolano, with terraces of Roman houses, public baths and porticoed pavements exposed below ground level as part of a UNESCO World Heritage property shared with Pompeii and sites at Torre Annunziata.World Heritage property

Roman streets preserved beneath a coastal town

The archaeological area of Ercolano occupies a hollow within the contemporary town, with Roman streets aligned broadly between the slope of Vesuvius and the direction of the Bay of Naples. Visitors descend from the level of Corso Resina and neighbouring roads to walk along ancient lanes flanked by multi-storey houses and public buildings that were buried and preserved when pyroclastic flows solidified around them during the first-century eruption.preserved by pyroclastic flows

Unlike the broad expanse of Pompeii, the excavated quarter at Ercolano is smaller in area and sits within a tighter basin, giving a compressed view of Roman urban life with several streets, junctions and building fronts visible at once.Smaller than Pompeii Houses open onto pavements with shopfronts at street level and living spaces stacked above, while the remains of public baths and a palaestra occupy prominent blocks. At the edge of the excavated zone, boat sheds facing what was once the shoreline have yielded skeletons of people caught by the eruption, adding a sobering human layer to the architectural remains.boat sheds with skeletons

Houses, decoration and everyday structures

Inside the excavated buildings of Ercolano, Roman domestic architecture is visible in cross-section: entrance halls opening into internal courtyards, reception rooms facing the street and service spaces tucked behind. Many houses preserve wall paintings and mosaics, with fragments of frescoed panels and geometric floor patterns surviving alongside architectural elements in brick and stone.frescoes and mosaics In some structures, carbonised wooden elements such as beams and doorframes remain in situ, a consequence of the particular way the volcanic material hardened around the town.preserved organic materials

Beyond the houses themselves, the archaeological park at Ercolano retains a range of everyday installations and public amenities. Street fountains stand at junctions, fed by lead pipes once running beneath the pavements.street fountains A market area and the remains of the palaestra point to social and commercial life, while the public baths show how heat and water were managed through furnaces, pools and service rooms. Together, these structures give a dense picture of a coastal residential town in the first century AD, set within the wider Roman landscape around Vesuvius and now accessible within a defined archaeological park.coastal residential town

Ercolano in Campania: town, park and volcano

Modern Ercolano is a commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples in southern Italy, on the lower slopes of Mount Vesuvius and within sight of the Bay of Naples.town in Campania The medieval settlement of Resina grew over the volcanic material left by the AD 79 eruption, and in the twentieth century the town’s name was formally changed to Ercolano, adopting the Italian form of the ancient name.Resina renamed Ercolano The archaeological area lies south of the present town centre, reached through urban streets around Corso Resina, and forms part of a broader cultural landscape that includes other Vesuvian sites.

Excavations at Ercolano began in the eighteenth century and have continued in phases, gradually revealing streets, houses and public buildings while leaving other parts of the ancient town buried beneath later construction.excavations began in the eighteenth century In 1997 the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the property that includes Pompeii and Torre Annunziata, recognising the exceptional preservation of Roman urban fabric and everyday life around Vesuvius.UNESCO inscription in 1997 The archaeological park is administered within Italy’s national cultural heritage system, with information provided through official channels under the title Parco Archeologico di Ercolano.Parco Archeologico di Ercolano

Visiting Ercolano: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Ercolano lies south-east of Naples in Campania, on the lower slopes of Mount Vesuvius between the mountain and the Bay of Naples; regional trains run from Naples towards Ercolano and buses connect with the Vesuvian area.
• Within the archaeological park, movement involves descending from the contemporary street level to the excavated streets and walking on uneven Roman paving and steps between multi-storey structures.
• The official language is Italian and the currency is the euro.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

Searching for Ercolano on social platforms

These links open searches for Ercolano on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Ercolano

Where is Ercolano and what is its setting?

Ercolano is a town in Campania in southern Italy, south-east of Naples on the lower slopes of Mount Vesuvius and close to the Bay of Naples.

What can visitors expect at the archaeological park?

The park presents excavated Roman streets with houses, public baths, fountains and boat sheds preserved under volcanic deposits, all set within a defined area below modern Ercolano.

What makes Ercolano distinctive compared with other Vesuvian sites?

Ercolano combines a compact excavated Roman quarter, exceptional preservation of structures and decoration, and an archaeological area embedded within a living coastal town.