| For a fantastic car hire holiday in Italy, fly to Naples and | | | | find one to suit you. |
| rent a car so that you can visit Mount Vesuvius and | | | | Italy Car Hire - Naples to Pompeii |
| the UNESCO World Heritage site of Pompeii. | | | | Once you have explored the Vesuvius National Park, |
| If you're staying in Naples, it's easy to get to Mount | | | | you can return to your hire car and drive to Pompeii. |
| Vesuvius in your hire car, and it will only take you about | | | | To fully appreciate this UNESCO World Heritage site, |
| 45 minutes to drive there. Take the A3 motorway | | | | it's worth spending at least a day there, so you can |
| towards Salerno and follow it until you have passed | | | | break up your Naples holiday by staying in one of the |
| through the toll station at Torre del Greco. Leave the | | | | local hotels or guest houses. Pompeii is an extremely |
| motorway at this exit and turn left to drive under the | | | | large site and there is a lot to see, so it's important not |
| motorway bridge. Drive along the Via Boscocatene | | | | to rush it. |
| and the Via B. Cozzolino, and then follow the signs for | | | | Pompeii was destroyed during the 79AD eruption of |
| Vesuvio. This will take you to Mount Vesuvius. You | | | | Mount Vesuvius, but the city was preserved beneath |
| can park your rental car in the car park. | | | | the ash, and the air pockets that formed between the |
| Mount Vesuvius is the largest active volcano in Europe | | | | bodies of the citizens who died during the disaster and |
| and was responsible for destroying Pompeii and | | | | the volcanic debris around them meant that |
| Herculaneum when it erupted in 79AD. It's actually two | | | | archaeologists could later construct plaster mummies. |
| volcanoes in one, with the active Gran Como crater | | | | These mummies can be seen around the site and |
| sitting within the now inactive Mount Somma crater. | | | | many people find seeing them extremely moving. |
| Once you've parked your hire car, you can walk to the | | | | Once you have parked your hire car, you can take a |
| summit to see the smouldering volcano, about 20 | | | | guided tour of the site, or explore it using a guidebook |
| minutes' walk from the car park. The crater also has | | | | or audio-guide. Highlights include the amphitheatre, the |
| cameras on it and you can see the footage from | | | | barber's shop, the public baths, temples and gardens. |
| them at the nearby Vesuvius Observatory. | | | | Italy Car Hire - Herculaneum |
| The Vesuvius Observatory also features exhibits | | | | If you have time, you might also want to explore the |
| relating the scientific study of volcanoes as well as to | | | | Scavi di Ercolano (Herculaneum ruins), which lie |
| the history of Mount Vesuvius and the famous 79AD | | | | between Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. This Roman |
| eruption. | | | | town was also destroyed during the 79AD Mount |
| You can also take a break from your hire car to | | | | Vesuvius eruption, and many believe that the ruins |
| explore the Mount Vesuvius National Park. There are | | | | make for a better day out than the larger and more |
| nine nature trails that you can follow there and they | | | | commercial Pompeii. |
| differ in length and difficulty, so you should be able to | | | | |