From Sorrento to Herculaneum, a photo from Naples, Campania

Photographer's Note

Hello Everyone,

Whilst staying in Sorrento, we went on a short journey by train, to Herculaneum.

Many people have visited Pompeii but not so many have been to Herculaneum.

This is the view from above the modern Ercolano, with the ruins stretching to the modern town on the hill.

Herculaneum, was an ancient city of 4,000–5,000 inhabitants in Campania, Italy. It lay 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Naples, at the western base of Mount Vesuvius, and was destroyed—together with Pompeii, by the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79. The town of Ercolano (pop. est 59,695) now lies over part of the site.

The particular circumstances of the burial of Herculaneum, unlike those of Pompeii, led to the formation over the city of a compact mass of tufaceous material about 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 metres) deep. Although this layer made excavation very difficult, it preserved Herculaneum and prevented tampering and looting. The special conditions of ground humidity made possible the conservation of wooden frameworks of houses, wooden furniture, the hull of a sizable boat, pieces of cloth, and food (carbonized loaves of bread left within ovens). Thus, Herculaneum offers a detailed impression of private life that is only with difficulty achieved in other centres of the ancient world. -Wikipedia

This was the second time that we had visited Herculaneum and we were not disappointed! The first time we visited, in 2007, a rainstorm welcomed us; this time it was warm and sunny.
The excavations had extended and conservation work was underway.
The site is very interesting and there were far fewer visitors present than when we visited Pompeii a couple of days later!

I will add a workshop showing my husband enjoying Herculaneum.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

ikeharel, ChrisJ, dedee, pierrefonds, holmertz, Fis2, jean113, jhm, macjake, PaulVDV has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ikeharel (108157) 2021-06-04 4:32

Yes, its the less-known "sister" of Pompei, Beverley.
Still it offers good understanding of how life were in ancirnt time's.
Found an exceptional POV here, a look into the old homes in the labyrinth built neighborhood.
Good afternoon,
ike

Silvio1953 (210541) 2021-06-04 4:32

Ciao cara Bev, great POV on fascinating ruines, wonderful colors, excellent clarity, fine details and splendid light, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

pajaran (106429) 2021-06-04 4:48

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lepa stara arhitektura i moderna u pozadini, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perspektivom.
Lep deo grada i fotografija, dobro uhvacen trenutak.
Dobar rad sa fotografijom u radionici.

Zelim vam sve najbolje za vikend.
Paja

ChrisJ (164664) 2021-06-04 4:48

Hello Beverly. I have been there and it was well worth the trip. Compact and far fewer crowds than Pompeii. Just a tip for anyone day tripping from Naples. The Circum Vesuvius rail station is BELOW the main train station in Naples. You have to go down the stairs to find it. Staff at the Naples train station above it weren't very helpful and became exasperated with tourists (not just me but several other tourists in line ahead of me) asking which platform it was on. There are 25 tracks above ground level and none of them go to Ercalano or Sorrento. The entire C.V. station is underground. Tfs!

dedee (1521) 2021-06-04 4:51

Hi Bev
A good image showing both ancient and modern. We visited many years ago and found it more interesting than Pompeii.
David

pierrefonds (106868) 2021-06-04 5:09

Hi Bev,

The wideness of the area is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details of the ruins of Herculaneum. The light is bringing out the beauty of the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

holmertz (95964) 2021-06-04 5:36

Hello Bev,
Before the pandemic Naples was fairly high on my bucket list, and I was considering skipping Pompeii entirely and just see Herculaneum instead. It appealed to me to see the less visited place, but its location almost integrated with modern areas also seemed interesting. We get a good idea of that in this interesting picture from a good elevated point. Ancient and present side by side, quite fascinating. In this case also a photo with very nice light and colours.
Regards,
Gert

Fis2 (160003) 2021-06-04 6:32

Witaj Bev!
A very interesting place, view makes impression.
I like it.
The ruins are impressive.
Good POV and composition.
I like colors and sharpness.
Well done.
Good afternoon.
Krzysztof

jean113 (24339) 2021-06-04 8:51

Hello Beverley, an excellent high point of view that shows many of the ruined buildings which look in remarkably good condition.
I expect that this is just a small part of the city?
We have visited Pompeii, but visiting Herculaneum wasn't on our agenda. (A pity.)
Viewed in the large version we can really appreciate your shot.
Kind regards, Jean.

jhm (206443) 2021-06-04 9:24

Hello Bev,

You chose a nice angle about the old ruins in Rome.
The tree are exactly the support of the picture.
Splendid picture with nice sharp and pleasant colours.
Very done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

Tue (85166) 2021-06-04 10:04

Hello Beverley,
This viewpoint offers a great view of the old ruined city. The composition is good and the sunlight was very pleasant, showing the colours most naturally. The few yellow colours in the distance stand out well from the blue sky as well.
Lars

lousat (132411) 2021-06-04 13:03

Hi Bev,in fact Herculaneum is less visited by tourists than Pompeii and Paestum, there is a lot of competition in this region rich in archaeological sites, so this city is often ignored. Better for you that you enjoyed a quiet visit on a beautiful day, but now I expect an onslaught of tourists for this summer after the pandemic that is now at an end in Italy too. Congratulations for the photos and have a good weekend,Luciano

ifege (37175) 2021-06-04 19:35

Hi Bev
In ways I wish I'd been to Herculaneum instead of the crowded Pompeii. It looks very interesting and this photo show it off very well.
cheers
Ian

jemaflor (138871) 2021-06-04 23:01

Hi Bev,
Good POV of these ruins, nice sunligh and perfect composition well balanced with the Fg, trunk and oleanders, tfs.

macjake (97222) 2021-06-04 23:29

Hi Bev
always great to see Len in your shots :)
so what we're looking at now, these buildings used to be completely covered from the ash? I didn't get to go here when I visited Pompeii, but i'd certainly welcome it. Great to hear the weather Gods helped you out the 2nd time. Its an interesting and educational view from this elevated location.
I hope you post more from here. cheers
Craig

kasianowak (16458) 2021-06-05 5:05

Fabulous Mediterranean landscape with eye-catching structures of Herculaneum in the foreground. The light is lovely.
It looks pleasantly desolate, indeed, not like Pompeii (which I visited in 1990 and it was already full of tourists).
Have a nice day weekend!
Kasia

PaulVDV (57175) 2021-06-05 11:51

Hello Beverley,
My interest was mainly in Pompei, but after my visit (actually on another day) I decided to go to Herculaneum too and I was certainly not disappointed.
Very special to me was that these excavations were just in the middle of the built-up area around Naples. Your two photos show this very well.
Your main photo is one of the best I've ever seen of Herculaneum.
Excellent composition, depth, sharpness and clarity.
Best regards, Paul

jmdias (106505) 2021-06-09 9:21

BEV

yes, these ruins aren't so famous as pompei. I liked these two different views showing more of the place. while in italy I know only from rome to north, this country has so much to be discovered by a tourist and I let the southern part for another trip.

take carte

jorge

mkamionka (64846) 2021-06-15 1:40

Hi Bev,
that is right, I restricted myself to Pompeii which was fantastic but I would love to visit Herculaneum as well. I was just worried that it would be too much for my daughter but she actually quite enjoyed running around the Pompeii.
Beautiful composition here with well included plant in the foreground. I suppose it is for me a reason to revisit this area again in the future.
Very well done,
M