Pompei (; ), also known in English as Pompeii ( ) after the name of the ancient city, is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and in the

Metropolitan City of Naples The Metropolitan City of Naples () is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Naples. The province was established on 1 January 2015 and contains 92 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). ...

, Italy. It contains the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

ruins of

Pompeii Pompeii ( ; ) was a city in what is now the municipality of Pompei, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy. Along with Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Villa Boscoreale, many surrounding villas, the city was buried under of volcanic ash and p ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

Modern Pompei was founded in 1881 after the building of the

Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei The Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei () is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral, Roman Catholic Marian churches, Marian pontifical shrine, and Minor basilica#Pontifical minor basilicas, Pontifical minor basilica c ...

by the lawyer

Bartolo Longo Bartolo Longo, TOSD (February 10, 1841 – October 5, 1926) was an Italian lawyer and former Satanic priest who returned to the Catholic faith and became a Dominican tertiary, dedicating his life to the Rosary and the Virgin Mary. He was even ...

Geography

The town of Pompei is located at the eastern borders of its province, and its urban area is contiguous with

Scafati Scafati () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Salerno, in the Italy, Italian region of Campania. Geography Scafati is situated on the river Sarno. Under the bridge over the river into the village, the Sarno divides into a primary ...

in the

Province of Salerno The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025. Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...

. It also borders

Torre Annunziata Torre Annunziata (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is located on the Gulf of Naples, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. History The city was destroyed in the Vesuvius eruption of 7 ...

Castellammare di Stabia Castellammare di Stabia (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region, in southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento. History Castellammare di Stabia ...

Boscoreale Boscoreale (; ; "Royal Grove") is an Italian (municipality) and town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, with a population of 25,939 in 2022. Located in the Vesuvius National Park, under the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, it is known for th ...

Santa Maria la Carità Santa Maria la Carità () is a (municipality) of 11,617 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania, located about southeast of Naples. It is situated in the Stabiae-Vesuvian plain, in the Sarno valley. Its ...

and

Sant'Antonio Abate Sant'Antonio Abate () is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 30 km southeast of Naples. Sant'Antonio Abate borders the following municipalities: Angri, Gragnano, Lettere, Pompe ...

Landmarks

Ruins of Pompeii

Modern Pompei is famous primarily for the ruins of the ancient city of

, located in the zone of Pompei Scavi. The vast archaeological area is a

and attracts many international tourists.

Shrine of Our Lady of Pompei

The

, dedicated to

Our Lady of the Rosary Our Lady of the Rosary (), also known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, is a Titles of Mary, Marian title. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Feast of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on 7 October ...

, has become a site for Catholic pilgrimages in recent years. It houses a canvas by

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...

. It was founded by a convert who reportedly experienced a miracle from the Virgin Mary. Miracles have been reported since its foundation. The

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

s that cover the church walls are a testimonial of the miracles granted by the Virgin Mary since the church was consecrated in 1891. Many churches, chapels, and shrines worldwide are dedicated to Our Lady of Pompei.

Bell tower

The bell tower was built between 1912 and 1925. Designed by Aristide Leonori and his brother Pio Leonori, it is 80 metres high (260 ft). The top of the bell tower, which can be reached by taking a lift, offers a panoramic view of the modern city,

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...

and part of the ancient city of Pompeii.

Sacred architecture

* Church of San Salvatore * Church of Sacro Cuore di Gesù * Church of San Giuseppe sposo della Beata Vergine * Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo * Church of Immacolata Concezione * Church of Madonna dell'Arco * Chapel of Madonna delle Grazie * Church of Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria

Demographics

Transportation

Roads

Pompei is served by the motorway A3 at the exits of Pompei–Scafati, Pompei Ovest (close to the ruins of

Villa of the Mysteries The Villa of the Mysteries () is a well-preserved suburban ancient Roman villa on the outskirts of Pompeii, southern Italy. It is famous for the series of exquisite frescos in Room 5, which are usually interpreted as showing the initiation of a b ...

) and Castellammare di Stabia. It is crossed by the national roads SS 18 and SS 145.

Railways

Trains on the FS-owned

Naples–Salerno railway The Naples–Salerno railway line is a major railway line in the Italian rail network, forming a link in the main trunk line to southern Italy. The first nine kilometres from Naples to Portici was the first railway in Italy, opened on 3 October ...

stop at the

Pompei railway station Pompei railway station is a railway station in Pompei, Campania in Italy. See also *History of rail transport in Italy *List of railway stations in Campania *Railway stations in Italy Most railway stations in Italy are maintained and ope ...

. Pompei has four stations on two lines of the

Circumvesuviana Circumvesuviana () is a railway network in the east of the Naples metropolitan area, operated by Ente Autonomo Volturno, EAV. Electrically powered throughout, the system uses the narrow gauge of and operates of route on six lines. It is ...

network. The Pompei Santuario (located in the middle of the town) and Pompei Valle (near the ruins of Pompeii) lie on the Torre Annunziata–Pompei–Poggiomarino line. Pompei Scavi-Villa dei Misteri, which serves the

, and Moregine lie on the Naples–Torre Annunziata–Castellammare–

Sorrento Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...

line.

Airports

The nearest airports are: * Napoli-Capodichino (NAP) 28 km * Salerno-Pontecagnano (QSR) 49 km

Football

Pompei's main football team was Pompei FC, known in Italian as the . The team is defunct.

Notable people

Agostino Abbagnale Agostino Abbagnale (born 25 August 1966) is an Italian rower and triple Olympic gold medalist. He is the younger brother of multiple Olympic medalists Carmine Abbagnale and Giuseppe Abbagnale. Biography Abbagnale was born in Pompei. He wo ...

(born 1966), rower * Pino D'Angiò (1952–2024), disco artist * Felice Evacuo (born 1982), footballer *

(1841–1926), catholic blessed *

Gilda Sansone Gilda Sansone (born April 12, 1989 in Pompei, Campania, Italy) is an Italian fashion model and winner of the first cycle of ''Italia's Next Top Model''. Early life In a casting interview for ''Italia's Next Top Model'', Sansone stated that, as a ...

(born 1989), fashion model * Alberto Savino (born 1973), footballer * Giovanni Serrapica (born 1981), footballer * Vincenzo Sicignano (born 1974), footballer * Gaetano Vastola (born 1978), footballer *

Valentina Nappi Valentina Nappi (born 6 November 1990) is an Italian pornographic film actress and adult model. She has won numerous awards including the 2017 XBIZ Award for the Foreign Female Performer of the Year. Life and career Born on 6 November 1990 i ...

(born 1990), adult film actress

Twin towns

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

, South Korea *

Latiano Latiano ( Brindisino: ; Leccese: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the southeast coast of Italy. Its main economic activities are tourism and the growing of olives and grapes. Bartolo Longo was a native of Latiano. Ma ...

, Italy *

Noto Noto (; ) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were decl ...

, Italy *

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

, Spain *

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

, China

Gallery

File:Santuario Pompei 01 - Esterni.jpg, Sanctuary of Pompei File:Napoli pompei 023.JPG, The Roman ruins of Pompeii File:Citrus store at Pompeii.JPG, A citrus store on a central road File:Pompei 25-4-08 064.jpg, The FS railway station

References

External links

Official websitePompei Tourism Info
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Campania Populated places established in 1891 1891 establishments in Italy