Begin the day with a pickup from your accommodation or the cruise port at approximately 8:00 - 8:30 am Arrive at the entrance of the site at Pompeii. There, you'll either purchase your entry ticket and explore the ruins on your own or, if you have chosen the option including a guide, you'll meet your licensed tour guide for a tour of the site. In both cases, you have about two hours to explore Pompeii. Founded in 600 B.C., from Greek and Etruscan roots to become an important Roman city. Then on August 24, A.D. 79, everything changed. Vesuvius erupted and began to bury the city under 30 feet of hot volcanic ash. For the archaeologists who excavated it centuries later, the ruins taught them volumes about daily Roman life. Today Pompeii offers the best look anywhere at what life in Rome must have been like around 2,000 years ago. This city of well-preserved ruins is yours to explore. Not rich, not poor, it was middle class—a perfect example of typical Roman life.