Pompeii undoubtedly holds the distinction of being the world’s most significant archaeological site.

Preserved in an almost untouched state since 79 A.D., this city provides a unique window into the past, courtesy of the cataclysmic eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius, which smothered it in a thick layer of ash and stones.

What sets Pompeii apart from other global archaeological sites, such as those found in Rome, Greece, Egypt and Central America, is the authenticity and intactness of its ancient streets. Nowhere else, aside from Pompeii, can one stroll through the very same streets and buildings, inhabited and bustling with activity nearly two thousand years ago. You can wander through the very homes in which people resided, the temples where they worshipped, and the venues where they worked and played. Traces of their everyday life, like carriage marks left on roads and water supply pipes are still visible, as are the ‘fossilized’ remains of those who perished in the eruption.