Giovanni Battista Piranesi, The Temple of Isis at Pompeii, 1788 (Cleveland Museum of Art)
Ancient Roman town below Mt Vesuvius, destroyed in the eruption of 79AD. Major archaeological digs began in 1748 with the rediscovery of Pompei by the Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre.
- Mozart Relevance
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On 9 June 1770 Leopold Mozart wrote to his wife: 'Next week we’ll be visiting the 2 buried cities [Pompeii and Herculaneum], where entire rooms from classical antiquity are currently being excavated.' The next week, on 16 June 1770, he wrote: 'On Monday and Tuesday [18-19 June] etc. we’re going to take a closer look at Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculaneum – the towns that are currently being excavated – and admire the curiosities that have already been discovered.'
- Location
- Pompeii