In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the city in thirteen to twenty feet of ash and pumice. The site was first rediscovered in 1599, and then again in 1748 by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre. This quick destruction preserved the city giving us a curiously intimate look into early Roman culture and day to day life.

Today Pompeii is Italy’s most popular tourist destination with 2.5 million visitors a year. It is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.