Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.  The city was lost and forgotten for about 1500 years.  It was discovered and excavated to become one of the most visited tourist attractions in Italy.  We were not expecting Pompeii to be what it is.  The sheer scale of the city is staggering.  Forum, amphitheatres, villas, stores, port and temples all destroyed in a matter of hours.  Some people tried to escape, some died where they stood.    It is an eerie place like the Zeppelin Field in Nuremberg.