Pompeii

The foundation of the very ancient Pompeii with Oscan origins goes back to the 4th century B.C.,  even if some historicians assert that it existed  already in the 8th century.
For some points Pompeii had the same history of Naples:  being attacked by the Etruscans,  it allied with the Greeks from Palepolis and Cumae; conquered by the Samnites, in 310 B.C. it tried to defend itself from the attacking Romans,  who already controlled the region Campania,  but it had to surrender.
In 89 B.C. Silla took Stabia and assaulted Pompeii occupying it totally; from that moment it became a roman colony and was called " Colonia Cornelia Veneria".
The Roman city became among 80 B.C. an important centre for commerce,  handicrafts and most of all for holidays.
Just in period of great development,  in 79 A.D. its centre was completely destroyed by a terrible Vesuvius eruption together with other nearby cities like Herculeum, Oplonti, Stabiae, Scafati, etc. It was buried by a seven metres high hardened layer of lava,  ash and lapillus. The whole area began to recover very slowly only in the 2nd century near a place called "Civita". After some attempts of excavation in the 16th century,  in 1748 the first real explorations began according to the wishes of Carlo of Bourbon.
Successively the works continued at intervals,  but only in our century the excavations were done with assiduity and scientific precision, bringing to the light unique evidences of the daily life "stopped" in that period.
Today the excavations sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are probably the most incredible open-air museums in the world:  temples, villas, perfectly conserved theatres,  but also men, children and animals petrified and immortalized by  the sad event.
Today Pompeii is famous also for its importance in the evaluation of pagan culture and art,  becoming see of one of the most famous sanctuaries of Christian faith and precisely the sanctuary of the "Vergine del Rosario" (Vergin of the Rosary), built in 1876 according to the wishes of Bartolo Longo and finished in 1939; remarkable is the beautiful bell tower with its five  floors and 82 metres height,  which is visible in the whole surroundings.