Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Pompeii, the forgotten city.

Now before we begin our tour, I’d like to tell you something about its history. Pompeii was first occupied in the 8th century BC.  The Etruscans soon dominated the region and Pompeii was no exception.  The Etruscan occupation lasted throughout the 5th and 6th centuries BC.  After the Etruscans came the Saminites.  The Saminites turned Pompeii into a pure Greek town.  Their reign ended when the Romans took control of Pompeii around 200 BC.  The Romans retained control over Pompeii until the end...  a fateful day in 79 AD when Mt Vesuvius unleashed its fury on the 20,000 inhabitants of this thriving Roman city. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.  Although this tragic event ended the lives of 20,000 Pompeian residents, the ash that buried the town served as a sort of mummification for the entire city.  The eruption of 79 AD which buried the town in ash actually captured a moment in time.  Under the ash everything remained as it was at the time of the eruption.  The volcano buried the city under many metres of ash and it was lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748.

Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Artwork was preserved.  Buildings were preserved. Several important clues were left behind.  These clues give us a little glimpse into the past.  These clues are the silver lining that can be seen when you visit the ruins at Pompeii. Today, it is one of Italy's leading tourist attractions and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands on a spur formed by a lava flow to the north of the mouth of the Sarno River (known in ancient times as the Sarnus). Today it is some distance inland, but in ancient times it would have been nearer to the coast. It is next to the modern Napoli.

I hope you will enjoy the visit.