Stop 1: Almost two thousand years ago, a volcano in southern Italy - Mount Vesuvius - erupted with tremendous force and little warning. Within 24 hours, the nearby Roman city of Pompeii was buried under a rain of hot ash and falling debris, lying undiscovered for over 1,600 years.

Stop 2: The day of the eruption dawned like any other and for the people of Pompeii it was business as usual. Around noon, a cloud appeared over Mount Vesuvius. It was a plume of ash and pumice shooting into the sky kilometres above the erupting volcano.

Stop 3: Ever since the Greeks wrested control of Pompeii from the Etruscans in the early 5th century BC, the lush and fertile area around Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples was contested for by different people from the surrounding region.

Stop 4: Gladiators, either select professionals, slaves or prisoners, participated in bloody combats in the amphitheatre to mass audiences.

Stop 5: Commonly used to transport and store wine, olive oil, fish and fruit in Ancient Pompeii, amphora could weigh over 50 kg when full.

Stop 6: Moving from the lively street, into the private house was to enter a different environment. The plain house front concealed a luxurious interior.

Stop 7: Mount Vesuvius - erupted with tremendous force and little warning. Within 24 hours, the nearby Roman city of Pompeii was buried under a rain of hot ash and falling debris.

Stop 8: From a population of about 12,000, archaeologists have identified 1,150 bodies in Pompeii either as skeletons or as plaster casts of the victims.

Stop 9: Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. The story of Pompeii reminds of the unpredictable threat that volcanoes pose to human communities.

Premier arrêt : Il y a près de 2000 ans, un volcan du sud de l’Italie, le Vésuve, est entré en éruption avec une force extraordinaire, presque sans prévenir. En 24 heures, la cité romaine de Pompéi fut ensevelie sous une pluie de cendres et de pierres brûlantes. Elle fut rayée de la surface de la terre pendant plus de 1600 ans.