I was stationed in Naples, Italy from 1981 to 1984, USAF officer working at the NATO base there. I had the awesome opportunity to go to Herculaneum many times and I would sit for hours watching the archiologists as they uncovered the ruins. I also went to Pompei many times, it was in good shape and nothing was closed at that time. It was unbelieveable to see the intricacy of the spas and statues and the layout of the city. Just fascinating.
Nice! As you know, the Herculaneum site is actually better preserved, including a number of upper storeys, and lots of carbonized wood, including doors which still swing on their hinges. At an early time, the diggers noticed that the stone was lousy with tiny pores still filled with poison gases, making digging there a little challenging. :’)