In the first century the Roman Empire contains many cities, but none in a more beautiful setting than the cities and towns lining the Bay of Naples. On the 24th of August, 79 A.D., volcanic ash spews from Mt. Vesuvius. Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum disappear from the face of the earth. Gradually grass and vines cover the land where the towns stood. The local people eventually forget even the name of the buried towns.
Herculaneum was rediscovered in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748. By the mid-eighteenth century, when scholars made the journey to Naples and reported on the findings, the imagination of Europe was ignited. Suddenly, the classical world was in vogue. Philosophy, art, architecture, literature, and even fashion drew upon the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum for inspiration; the Neoclassical movement was under way.