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Walk the Via dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii

History & Heritage

Walk the Via dell’Abbondanza

Pompeii · Campania

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
History & Heritage
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Pompeii · Campania
DURATION
An hour or two as part of a visit
DIFFICULTY
Easy walking on Roman paving, uneven in places; sturdy shoes essential.
BEST TIME
Spring and autumn; the street is exposed and hot in summer.

ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE

The Via dell’Abbondanza was the main street of Roman Pompeii, the “Street of Abundance”, running from the Forum to the amphitheatre past the shops, the taverns, the bakeries and the houses of the city. It is the single best walk in the site, because it is the street where the everyday life of the city is most visible — the shop fronts with their counters, the bakeries with their ovens and mills, the taverns with their painted menus, and the stepping stones that let pedestrians cross the street above the water and the waste that ran in the gutters. Walking it is to walk through the commercial life of a Roman town in a way no museum can show.

WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE

What you’ll experience

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL

What it’s really like

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

HIGHLIGHTS

Moments worth savouring

01

The shop fronts and the counters — the thermopolia, the Roman fast-food counters with their serving holes.

02

The bakeries — the bakeries with their stone mills and ovens, the bread still fossilised in some.

03

The stepping stones — the raised stones that let pedestrians cross the street above the gutters.

04

The house fronts — the façades of the houses and shops, with their painted signs and their election slogans.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Good to know before you go

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access
The street runs from the Forum to the amphitheatre; it is the main axis of the site.
Best Time
Mornings, before the heat and the crowds.
Context
The Via dell’Abbondanza is the main east–west street of the site, the spine of the visit.

MAP & LOCATION

Walk the Via dell’Abbondanza

Walk the Via dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii, Campania, Italy

40.7494, 14.4903

Open in OpenStreetMap

ATTRACTIONS NEARBY

Pair it with these sights

The Forum, Pompeii
Archaeological Site

The Forum

The civic centre of Roman Pompeii — a paved square surrounded by the temples, the basilica and the municipal buildings, with Vesuvius rising behind it.

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The Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii
Archaeological Site

The Villa of the Mysteries

A Roman villa outside the city walls, holding the finest cycle of Roman frescoes to survive — the mysterious initiation scenes of the Villa of the Mysteries.

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The Amphitheatre and the Large Theatre, Pompeii
Archaeological Site

The Amphitheatre and the Large Theatre

The oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre, built around 80 BC, and the large theatre beside it — the entertainment quarter of Pompeii at the southeast edge of the site.

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The Baths and the Lupanar, Pompeii
Archaeological Site

The Baths and the Lupanar

The Roman baths of Pompeii — the Forum Baths and the Central Baths — and the Lupanar, the city’s purpose-built brothel, with its explicit frescoes and its graffiti.

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MORE EXPERIENCES

More to do in Pompeii

Visit Herculaneum as well, Pompeii
History & Heritage

Visit Herculaneum as well

The smaller, better-preserved sister site of Pompeii — a Roman town buried deeper by the eruption, with wooden structures, upper floors and mosaics intact.

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Climb Vesuvius after the ruins, Pompeii
Nature & Hiking

Climb Vesuvius after the ruins

A climb to the crater of the volcano that destroyed Pompeii — the natural complement to the ruins, to see the volcano that made them.

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FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Forum — a restaurant near the Pompeii entrance, for a quick pasta and a glass of Lacryma Christi wine

02

President — a long-standing restaurant near the ruins, for classic Campanian cooking, book ahead

03

Kytta — a pizzeria near the Pompeii Scavi station, for a pizza after the ruins

04

Villa dei Misteri — a restaurant and wine bar near the Villa dei Misteri entrance, for the local Vesuvius wines

05

Lupanar Burger — a casual burger and beer spot near the entrance, for a quick meal

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Hotel Forum — a hotel in modern Pompei town, near the ruins, with a rooftop and a restaurant

02

Hotel Vittoria — a hotel near the Pompeii entrance, with a garden and views of Vesuvius

03

Hotel Maiuri — a comfortable hotel near the ruins, named after the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri

04

Resort & Winery Villa dei Misteri — a vineyard stay near the ruins, with Vesuvius wines and a restaurant

Explore destination

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Naples

Naples

Campania

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Campania

Herculaneum

Herculaneum

Campania

INTERESTS

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