DESTINATIONS — EUROPE
Janice Fuscoe discovers
how selling Pompeii can help your Italy bookings explode
TURN ASH TO CASH I
f you need any confirmation that clients are interested in a volcano that erupted almost 2,000 years ago, then
the extraordinarily popular ‘Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum’ exhibition at the British Museum last year is ample testament. Halfway through its six-month run the sold-out exhibition
had already hit its original target of 250,000 visitors. Although the beautifully curated show gave visitors a
flavour of Pompeii, a visit to the excavated site is the ultimate experience for clients with an interest in history. “Pompeii is a fascinating place to visit as it gives a unique glimpse into an ancient world,” says Rosanna Pearce, Cox & Kings agency sales executive. “Everything is so well preserved and by walking among the houses you are transported back in time.” Within easy reach of Naples and Sorrento, a visit to Pompeii fits easily into wider Italian itineraries.
l VOLCAN-ITALY With the brooding Vesuvius as a backdrop, there is scarcely a more dramatic landscape in Italy than that of Pompeii, not least because the eruption that sent a mushroom cloud of gas and super-hot rock 12 miles into the sky buried the entire city and all its inhabitants. Visitors can wander along Roman streets, visit the forum and public bathhouses, admire beautiful frescoes that decorated the villas of the wealthy and be moved by unnerving plaster casts of the victims. Pre-book a tour for clients, or an excellent audio guide at
the site makes it easy enough to explore unaccompanied. It’s worth recommending the Villa dei Misteri as it’s a particularly well-preserved villa with spectacular frescoes, but this is 25 minutes’ walk away from the main site, so clients will need to allow extra time.
82 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 16 January 2014
EUROPE
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
PICTURES: INGHAMS; FOTOTECAENIT; ISTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100