RomaPolacchi

The House of the Chaste Lovers in Pompeii is currently being excavated-the first new excavation in Pompeii in years. Not only is this new excavation exciting because of all the fascinating artifacts and features it is revealing (a huge brick oven, mosaic floors and skeletons of mules) but also because visitors will be able to enter the excavations and watch the dig going on in real time. If you are in Pompeii in March, be sure to stop by!

Not that you need to look for any reasons to visit the Amalfi Coast, but just in case you need some guidance, here are the Modern Traveler's top historical sites to visit on and around the Costiera Amalfitana. 1. Villa Jovis on Capri : Capri is fabled for two reasons. It is breathtakingly gorgeous and it was the playground for the less than moral Emperor Tiberius. Don't miss the ruins of his grand palace, the Villa Jovis, at the southern tip of the island. The flower-lined walk to the Villa from town is a lovely way to spend your morning and the views of the Amalfi Coast will knock your socks off. 2. Paestum (pictured): Somehow this sanctuary of ancient Greek temples was overlooked for the past 2,000 years. The 2,500 year old temples are in almost pristine condition and the rest of the archaeological site is pretty interesting too. Paestum is just a short drive from Salerno which is at the southern base of the Amalfi peninsula. Don't miss the museum ! 3. Herculaneum : In ...

Opening today at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. is an extraordinary exhibit of artifacts from the excavations of Pompeii and its neighboring towns. Luxurious furniture, personal effects, and exquisite works of art were all buried in the eruption of August 23rd, 79 C.E. Among these artifacts are sculptures from the Villa of the Papyri which inspired the Getty Villa in Malibu. These objects are now on display (many for the first time ever in the U.S.) at the National Gallery until March 22nd when the exhibit will travel to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Today's Washington Post has a detailed article on the history of Pompeii and its excavations and an excellent slide show of some of the major works.

Pompeii and the Roman Villa opens tomorrow, October 19, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The exhibit makes public several artifacts from recent excavations never on view in the U.S. before, as well as many well-known works from earlier excavations. The exhibit will also focus on the mosaics, frescoes and sculptures from the villas of wealthy Romans in the Bay of Naples that influenced much of the art of the 18th century. With the economy the way it is, it may be that a trip to the nation's capital is the closest we can get to Rome these days!

The Palazzo Massimo, one of the galleries in the National Museum of Rome, is hosting a collection of frescoes from houses and villas of Pompeii, destroyed in the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The exhibit, titled "Rosso Pompeiano" (Pompeian Red, for the color of the pigment that has made the Pompeian style of painting so iconic) features scenes of daily life, mythology, and nature. Most of the Pompeian frescoes have been borrowed from the Naples Museum of Archaeology and they are displayed with the permanent collection of the Palazzo Massimo, which includes sculptures, coins, pottery and other frescoes from the same time period and beyond. To read more about the exhibit, see a recent New York Times article or visit the exhibit website . You can also make reservations on-line . The exhibit runs until June 1st.