This is a municipality of Campania in the province of Naples. It is located on the right bank of the river Sarno, a little upstream from its outlet into the Gulf of Naples, at the feet of the southern slope of Vesuvius.
The town is situated in an area which was marshland until recent times. It was particularly developed during the last century, following the construction in 1883 of the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Rosario, through the zealous endeavours of Blessed Bartolo Longo.
Tourism provides an important resource for the local economy, attracted by the famous sanctuary and by the world famous and unique archaeological and artistic heritage of Pompei Scavi.
Ancient Pompei was probably founded by the Oscans, later inhabited by the Etruscans, Greeks and Sabellians, and became a Roman colony in 91 BC. It was completely destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD.
Its discovery was thanks to excavation works undertaken in 1748 by the King of Naples, Charles de Bourbon. The excavations, the finds and the intense debates they caused, influenced the expression of neoclassical art during the 18th century.