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Sat Jun 22, 2024, 05:46 AM Jun 2024

A Roman beach destroyed by Mount Vesuvius is open to the public for the first time

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/22/nx-s1-5015177/herculaneum-beach-mount-vesuvius-opens-restoration

A Roman beach destroyed by Mount Vesuvius is open to the public for the first time

JUNE 22, 2024 6:00 AM ET
By Rachel Treisman

Big news for history buffs and the morbidly curious: An ancient Roman beach is now open to the public for the first time since it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The beach at the Herculaneum archaeological park, located in the southern Italian region of Campania, opened on Wednesday after a multi-year restoration project.

"Today, after three years of intensive work aimed at the enhancement of the ancient beach of the Herculaneum excavations, by draining and filling the area formerly occupied by the sandy shore, visitors are given free access over the entire area and an understanding of the dynamics that led to the burial of the city," said Carabinieri Brigadier General Giovanni Capasso, who oversees the Great Pompeii Unit.




Herculaneum — named for the Greek god Hercules — is believed to have been founded by the Oscans in the 7th century BC and dominated by Rome in 90 BC. Its location on Italy's west coast and mild climate made it a popular resort town for Rome's patrician families.

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