Apparently, on 24 August 79 Mt Vesuvius blew up and covered Pompeii under 17 feet of ash and mud. As a result, the city, along with 2000 people who died of toxic inhalation, became mostly preserved. Was able to visit the place two years ago and it was like taking a trip back in time.

How anyone came up with the exact date is beyond me but I’ll take their word for it. The mountain is nine kms east of Naples which we were told by our driver to avoid at all costs. Too many criminals, he said. Would have been nice to grab some Neapolitan pizza though.
There seem to be a lot of problems with conserving what is left of the city. I remember watching the news about the collapse of one of the houses. Hope the Italians find the money for it but given how their economy is that could be a tall order. Would be an absolute shame to let it all go to waste.