4K Herculaneum Walking Tour (2025) – The Ancient City Buried by Mt. Vesuvius

4K Herculaneum Walking Tour (2025) – The Ancient City Buried by Mt. Vesuvius

Welcome to Herculaneum, an ancient Roman town buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. You can view a map of this tour by clicking the link in the video description. I first filmed a walking tour of Herculaneum in January 2018. I decided to film an updated tour because the boatshed area—where many bodies were found—was recently redesigned. The city was buried under 15 to 20 meters of volcanic material, sealing and preserving much of it in place. As you can see, the modern city of Ercolano is built directly over ancient Herculaneum. While Pompeii was buried in ash, Herculaneum was hit by pyroclastic surges—superheated gas and rock flows. Excavations began in the 18th century, but much of ancient Herculaneum still lies buried beneath modern Ercolano. This site offers a rare glimpse into Roman life, with upper floors, wooden beams, and even carbonized furniture. Herculaneum had about 5,000 residents and was a seaside resort favored by Rome’s wealthy elite. Many homes had stunning frescoes and mosaics, and some featured private baths and gardens. I remember first reading about Herculaneum in the May 1984 issue of National Geographic. I still have that issue and it hangs on my wall in my office. Wooden shelving, beds, and doors were carbonized and preserved—extremely rare in Roman archaeology. The eruption struck suddenly. Most residents were trapped before they could escape to the sea. This is the ticket office. Tickets cost €16 and can also be purchased online at coopculture.it. Guided tours are available. You’ll likely be approached by guides offering their services. The layout follows a Roman grid: east-west streets called decumani and north-south cardines. The buildings here include houses, baths, shops, shrines, and a palestra or gymnasium. Down below are the boat sheds where over 300 skeletons were found—evidence of the final moments before death. The building with scaffolding is the Suburban Baths, which are currently closed to the public. To our left is a small boat museum where visitors can see the remains of one of the boats. The white building on the right, that is in need of a wash, is the Archaeological museum. The boat sheds mark the edge of the ancient shoreline. These newly restored grounds in front of the boat sheds were swampy and inaccessible until recently Archaeologists have divided the city into “Insulae” or city blocks and each building is given a number or address. For detailed maps and many photos of each building, visit www.Herculaneum.uk. The carbonized scrolls were discovered in the cave to our left. They may hold lost knowledge—if we can ever read them. As we cross the bridge, Insula II is on our left and Insula III is on our right. The House of Aristides has the address: II.1 This was the atrium, a common entrance hall. At the center is an impluvium—a shallow pool used to collect rainwater. This large indoor garden, known as a peristyle, was a common feature in many houses. This house had an upper floor with a balcony overlooking Cardo III. This room, called a triclinium, was the dining room. The upper floor was unfortunately lost after open-air excavations were halted in 1875. This room opens up into a partially excavated peristyle. A pantry was found on the upper floor which contained loaves of bread ready to bake as well as jars containing olives, almonds and fruit. In 1707, an Austrian general named Prince d’Elboeuf bought an estate and built a house near the coast. Later, in 1709, while digging a well at a nearby monastery, a man found marble statues and other exceptional artifacts. When he heard the news, the Prince purchased the land and began digging tunnels at the bottom of the well. He soon realized that the well lead to an ancient marble building. It was stripped of all its artifacts. The building was the Herculaneum Theatre. In 1738, excavations restarted—this time under Spanish control. Unfortunately, during these excavations, or treasure hunts, there was little regard for the buildings and their historical significance. Multiple tunnels were dug from building to building. Herculaneum was stripped and plundered. It was originally thought that the entire population had escaped prior to the city being buried. In 1831, the first human remains were found here on the second floor of this house. The ground floor is all that remains of this two-story house. This hall leads to a large dining room (triclinium) as well as a shrine, known as a lararium. Herculaneum sits at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, just about 3 miles away. People in Herculaneum didn’t know Vesuvius was a volcano—it hadn’t erupted for centuries. In 62 AD, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred, destroying much of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Parts of Pompeii and Herculaneum were being rebuilt when disaster struck again. On August 24th, 79 AD, around 1:00 PM, Mount Vesuvius began to erupt. This is the counter of a thermopolium, a commercial shop where hot food was sold. A jar containing walnuts was found here. Only two buildings have been excavated in Insula VII so far. The rest remains buried under the present city of Ercolano. This partially excavated peristyle features a rare cross-shaped pool. We are now going to enter the men’s section of the Central Bath Complex. This area, known as a palaestra, was an exercise yard as well as an open-air lounge. This barrel-vaulted room, called an apodyterium, was the men’s changing room. Benches line the walls, with compartments for clothes and a marble basin used for washing before entering the inner rooms. Along the west wall (left) is the entrance to the frigidarium, the final step in the bathing process. It helped close the pores after time in the hot room. The next stop was a lukewarm sauna room called a tepidarium. Instead of soap, men would have oils and ointments applied to their skin. A curved metal tool called a strigil was then used to wipe off the oil, and with it, sweat and dirt. The caldarium was next. It was the hottest room in a Roman bath designed to open your pores. A large water basin once stood here. Slaves used a dish called a patara to pour cool, refreshing water over bathers. The air temperatures could reach above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with a 100% humidity. For 11 hours, Mount Vesuvius shot a plume of ash 12 miles into the sky. Initially, Pompeii suffered the most damage as roofs collapsed under the weight of falling debris. After 17 hours, 9 feet of pumice had fallen on Pompeii. Herculaneum, on the other hand, received only a few centimeters of ash. Eventually, Mt. Vesuvius couldn’t sustain the 12-mile high column of ash and pumice. Inside this shop are the remains of a wooden screw press, likely used to iron clothes. The giant plume of ash and pumice collapsed along the volcano’s flanks, triggering massive pyroclastic flows. Several stages of glowing avalanches buried both Herculaneum and Pompeii. When it was over, the town of Herculaneum was buried under 50-60 feet of ash. Unlike Pompeii, the deep pyroclastic material in Herculaneum preserved organic objects like wood, beds, doors, and even food. Ancient Roman plumbing—remarkably advanced for its time! Probably still works great! The House of the Two Atriums gets its name from having two central courtyards—an unusual layout. Notice the columns and wall painting fragments—common features in upper-class Roman homes. These are the back walls of the Central Baths. Below is a hallway that leads into the bath complex. Here is a kitchen and an L-shaped bench with a latrine on the left. The House of the Tuscan Colonnade includes a large peristyle supported by plain, Tuscan-style columns. A small treasure of gold coins was found on the second floor of this house during excavations. Here you can see the original wood door frame. The hall next door housed the Augustales, a society of freedmen who served in the imperial cult of Emperor Augustus. The Augustales were freed slaves who gained prestige by serving in civic and religious roles in Herculaneum. The central room was a temple dedicated to Hercules, where the Augustales gathered. These are the original timbers that supported the roof. A caretaker’s room is next to the temple. His skeleton was found lying on the bed, having died in the AD 79 eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The inscription on this plaque records that the building was dedicated to Emperor Augustus. There were over 450 members in the Augustales and they represented some of the most successful men in the community. A decumanus was the name for a street running east and west in a Roman city. A cardo was a street running north and south. The House of the Tuscan Colonnade had an entrance on the Cardo and Decumanus. Though difficult to see, the case contains charred black rope—preserved from the eruption. There is an underground cistern below this impluvium which gathered rain water from an opening in the roof. Here is another peristyle. The House of the Black Salon contains one of Herculaneum’s finest examples of a dark-painted room. Unfortunately, many rooms are closed to visitors at the moment. This room was the tablinum—the master’s office, used to receive guests and manage household affairs, located between the atrium and the garden. Here you can see carbonized remains of a wooden beam and window shutters. This fresco shows types of wine and their prices offered at the shop. Here you can see the unexcavated area that bounds the site. Next is the House of the Bicentenary, discovered in 1938 on the 200th anniversary of Herculaneum’s excavation. This house contains a rare bronze shrine niche and fragments of carbonized papyrus scrolls. The papyri were found exactly where they were stored in ancient times—making this one of the only Roman libraries still preserved in its original location. This house was closed in 2018 when I last filmed a tour here. This fountain has the head of Hercules on one end. On the Herculaneum.uk website, you can view photos submitted by visitors from decades ago. It is interesting to see how these streets have changed over the last 50 years. This street is known as Cardo V. It leads down to the boat sheds. Unlike Pompeii, the streets in Herculaneum don’t show deep ruts from heavy cart traffic. The house was built in the 2nd century BC during the Samnite era. Bourbon engineers began exploring the site in the 18th century, leaving behind a tunnel that partially damaged the atrium wall. Here you can see part of the vaulted ceiling. This pistrinum—Latin for bakery—is one of two found in Herculaneum. According to legend, Herculaneum was founded by Hercules in 1243 BC after returning from Iberia with cattle taken from the giant Geryon. However, there is no archaeological evidence to confirm this story. Strabo claimed the city was founded by the Oscans in the 12th century BC. This may be true, as inscriptions in the Oscan language were found and used in Herculaneum until Roman times. These columns mark the entrance to a partially excavated palaestra, a large open area used as an exercise yard. To the right of the columns lies the partially excavated palaestra. Along the north end of the Palaestra is a 30m long pool used either for swimming or as a fish pond. The steps lead into the unexcavated portion of the Palaestra. This is the main swimming pool of the palaestra. At its center is a bronze fountain of a five-headed serpent wrapped around a tree. The pool was cruciform in shape and measured 50 by 30 meters. This apsidal room contained a marble platform and a table, possibly used to display prizes. There are three cardines here. We’ve already walked the two outer ones—now we’ll walk the inner Cardo. This is the House of the Large Portal…but I failed to give you a good look at the “large portal.” Sorry about that. The House of the Great Portal was named for its front door, flanked by brick Corinthian half-columns. The house was built on the site of the old peristyle of the neighboring Samnite House. The toilet was under the stairs. Drains go to the general sewer. Thanks to these drains, archaeologists were able to learn a lot about the diet of the inhabitants of Herculaneum. This is Cardo IV. This is the hallway we looked down at earlier which leads to the men’s central baths. The House of the Neptune Mosaic belonged to a wine merchant. This room, called a summer triclinium, was a formal dining room where guests would eat while lying on their side. Along the north side of the room is an indoor fountain called a nymphaeum. In the center of the back wall of the garden is a mosaic, after which the house was named, depicting Neptune and Amphitrite. According to legend, Neptune saw Amphitrite dancing with the Nereids on the island of Naxos. Neptune kidnapped her, carried her away, and later married her. Unfortunately, the owner’s wine shop next door is closed to the public. The wine shop is mostly intact, featuring a wooden balcony and shelves that once held amphorae—tall ceramic jars used for wine. The arrangement of rooms here is somewhat unusual for ancient Roman houses. Upstairs, four rooms connected to a landing and a wooden balcony that jutted out over Cardo IV. This is the Tablinum, which occupies more than a quarter of the total area on the ground floor. There was a glass box in this room with human remains in it, but it seems to have been removed. This is the inner courtyard. Women’s baths, although smaller, remained in better condition than men’s baths. This is the apodyterium of the bathhouse, a changing room where Romans undressed and stored their belongings before bathing. This house dates back to the 2nd century BC making it one of the oldest buildings in Herculaneum. The house was sub-divided during the first century AD and the upper floor was rented out and had its own entrance. A Samnite house refers to a Roman-style home that preserves features from the Samnite period—a time before full Roman control, named after the Samnites, an Italic people who lived in south-central Italy. This house reflects pre-Roman architectural styles, likely dating to the 2nd century BC. The House of the Wooden Partition is one of the best-preserved residences in Herculaneum, both inside and out. The floor slopes in towards the impluvium which included a central fountain and display table. All three floors of the house were found to be very well preserved. The house is named after this wooden partition which separated the atrium from the main room. This is an original wooden bed frame found here in the room. The House with the Alcove was named for the recessed niche in its wall, which created a more intimate atmosphere. This house is actually made up of two interconnected buildings, joined by a stepped entrance between rooms. This room, called a biclinium, was a dining room with two banqueting couches along the walls. This narrow rectangular building is a typical example of a small Samnite house. The house got its name from a bronze Herma found in the tablinum, a room that served as the office of the owner of the house, a place for personal meetings and storage of important documents. The Herma is a four-sided pillar with a sculpted head of a god, politician, or thinker. Historians believe that in this case, the Herma is a portrait of the owner of the house. This is the back entrance to the House of the Inn, which was originally built as a luxury private villa. However, during the earthquake of 62 AD, the Villa was severely damaged. The owners were either impoverished or had lost too much money to continue living in the house. Instead, the House of the Inn was turned into an Inn or ancient Roman hotel. We are now going to visit a couple more houses before going down to the newly restored boat sheds. Hey, if you’re enjoying this tour, please leave a LIKE on the video. This really helps out my channel. It’s all I ask. 🙂 Thanks! Need a break from the hot sun? At almost 20,000 square feet, this is one of the largest houses in the excavated portion of Herculaneum. This relief is of Achilles, with his mother Thetis, who is treating the wound of the Mysian king, Telephus. This house had its own private entrance to the Suburban baths along the waterfront. This vaulted corridor, called a cryptoporticus, surrounds the central garden. The house was named after one of the sculptures that stood in its garden. The House of the Deer was built during Emperor Claudius’s reign and features a layout very different from other Herculaneum mansions. Firstly, the entrance hall or atrium is not the center of the building. Instead, the entire layout focuses on the inner garden or pergola on the south side of the mansion. It was from here that a beautiful view of the Gulf of Naples opened. The owner who built the house was apparently an elderly man. He did not have to prove his wealth or inspire respect with beautiful frescoes. This gazebo and terrace were built out over the town wall and had amazing views over the Bay of Naples. This house is only opened for four months out of the year. The house is thought to have been inhabited by the family of Roman proconsul Marco Nonio Balbo. The house takes its name from a gem believed to have been found there, engraved with the portrait of a woman from the time of the emperor Claudius. While the house was discovered by archaeologists in 1934, it was only opened to the public in 2022 for a four-month trial. In 2023, 560,000 people visited Herculaneum—a new record for the site, albeit far fewer than the nearly four million who flocked to Pompeii that year. This tunnel, known as the Marine Gate, leads down to the Suburban District which was the ancient waterfront area. The statue at the center of the terrace is of Marcus Nonius Balbus, one of the city’s major benefactors who helped restore and build many public buildings. At the east end of the terrace are the Suburban Baths, which are extremely well preserved but unfortunately closed to the public. Beginning in 1981, a new series of excavations took place here along the waterfront, which led to a surprising discovery. Over 300 skeletal remains were found inside the boat chambers. This find was significant because Romans typically cremated their dead. The discovery of so many skeletons provided scientists with a wealth of new information. From these remains scientists were able to gain greater insight into the health and nutrition of the Herculaneum population. The average height of a male citizen was 5 and a half feet, while the average woman stood around 5 feet. Their teeth were generally in good shape. They ate a lot of seafood and several had suffered from lead poisoning. This discovery also contradicted a previously held belief that most of the people of Herculaneum were able to escape. Unlike Pompeii where hundreds of bodies were found inside the city, only a dozen or so bodies were actually found in the houses at Herculaneum. Studies have shown that the people inside the boat chambers died instantly from the heat of the pyroclastic flows. One of the most significant finds along the waterfront was an overturned hull of a Roman boat. Beside the boat were the remains of a man who appeared to be holding an oar. As I mentioned earlier, this area had become a swamp over the years, with only a boardwalk in front of the boat sheds. I came here twice the year before and both times this area was closed. Hopefully the Suburban Baths will be open to the public soon! Please let me know when they open. Thanks! There are two temples in this area, both of which had been restored after the earthquake in AD62. On February 4th, 1990, armed robbers tied up six guards and stole over 200 gold artifacts from the Herculaneum museum. Between 1974 and 1989, over 244,000 paintings, statues, frescoes, coins, and other artifacts were stolen in Italy. Excavations will eventually resume at Herculaneum, but the current focus is preservation. Every year more and more of Herculaneum is lost due to exposure to the elements. Water damage from modern Ercolano has weakened many of Herculaneum’s foundations. Mt. Vesuvius is still an active volcano. Its last major eruption was in 1944. Roman streets often had raised sidewalks and stone blocks for crossing during rainy seasons. From this higher vantage point, you can appreciate the depth of volcanic material that buried the city. Herculaneum was buried deeper than Pompeii, which helped preserve organic material like wood and cloth. In the distance, Mount Vesuvius still looms — the same volcano that destroyed and preserved this city. The modern town of Ercolano sits directly above parts of ancient Herculaneum still unexcavated. Only a small portion of the ancient city has been uncovered, with much more lying hidden underground. Many of the city’s most valuable artifacts, including mosaics and statues, are now housed in Naples museums. If visiting, consider pairing your trip with Pompeii, Oplontis, and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. There is also a great outdoor market here in Ercolano known as the Resina Market. The Herculaneum site is much smaller than Pompeii and easier to explore in a single visit. While you can visit all of Pompeii in a day, it’s a long walk, and you’re likely to miss something—especially since some areas may be closed. In other words, Pompeii takes multiple visits to truly take it all in. Herculaneum can be explored fully in just one visit. I wonder what else is buried under the modern town! The people of Naples live each day as if it were their last, because they know that one day Vesuvius will bury them. “Vedi Napoli e poi muori” – “See Naples and die.” Meaning: Naples is so beautiful and full of life, that once you’ve experienced it, you can die content — or, more darkly, because death (via Vesuvius) might come at any moment. Thanks for joining me on this tour! I hope you enjoyed it! Ciao! Ciao!

Walking tour through the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum
📅 *Filmed on* Friday, June 6th, 2025
🌞 *Weather* 27°C | 81°F 🌡

🗺️ *Map of the Walk* https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1xT2cc820lFPM0sZ9eb_XZ3wwXVy3aGo&usp=sharing 🗺️

🔻𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀🔻
0:00 Entrance
1:09 Herculaneum Viewpoint
8:08 Ticket Office
13:50 House of Aristides
14:11 House of Argus
16:31 House of the Albergo
18:35 House of the Skeleton
22:20 Thermopolium
23:11 House of Galba
*24:35 Men’s Central Baths*
29:45 Workshop of Lanarius
31:48 House of the Two Atriums
33:46 House of the Tuscan Colonnade
36:14 Hall of the Augustales
39:23 Decumanus Maximus North
40:42 House of the Tuscan Colonnade
42:30 House of the Black Salon
47:05 House of the Bicentenary
53:15 House of Wooden Shrine
54:33 Bakery
55:26 Shop
56:04 Dye Workshop
56:37 Palestra
57:49 Palestra Swimming Pool
1:01:12 House of the Large Portal
1:05:39 House of Neptune and Amphitrite
1:08:19 House of the Beautiful Courtyard
*1:13:29 Women’s Central Baths*
1:15:57 Samnite House
1:19:01 House of the Wooden Screen
1:21:56 House of the Alcove
1:26:04 House of the Bronze Herm
1:28:13 Casa dell’Albergo
1:31:31 Bakery
1:34:26 House of the Relief of Telephus
1:35:26 House of the Deer
1:40:28 House of the Gem
1:44:08 Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus
*1:45:54 Ancient Shoreline and Boatsheds*
1:51:59 Sacred Area
1:54:17 Cardo V
1:56:01 Decumanus Maximus
1:57:57 Cardo III

Explore the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. This 2025 walking tour revisits the archaeological site in Ercolano, Italy, seven years after my original 2018 video, which reached over 1.7 million views.

Since then, the site has seen important updates, including the redesign of the ancient boat sheds, offering an even more immersive and moving experience where the remains of over 300 victims were discovered. Join me for a peaceful, uninterrupted walk through beautifully preserved Roman homes, bathhouses, shops, mosaics, and frescoes—ending at the newly enhanced shoreline.

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