Naples/Pompeii, Italy

In 79AD, Pompeii was instantly buried beneath 30 feet of volcanic ash and cinder when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. At its peak, Pompeii was home to 20,000 people and it is believed that 2,000 of the perished instantly when the ash came down, creating ghostly “casts” formed by bodies encased and incinerated in the hot ash.

While Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash, Herculaneum was interred in mud when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79AD. The mud hardened and preserved the site in nearly perfect condition.