The two cities on Italy's southern coast were buried following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.

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In 1908 London rescued the Olympics after Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted, causing the selected city of Rome to pull out.

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Each year, 2.5 million tourists visit the ancient city, which was buried under ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

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Classicists at Oxford first deployed the technique in 1999, to examine papyri discovered in a villa that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD.

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Rome was set to host the 1908 Olympics when Mount Vesuvius erupted two years prior, forcing the city to forgo the Games due to the cost of rebuilding (although some historians speculate that Italy was struggling to fund the event even before the volcano erupted).

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The Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, contains the vestiges of two flourishing cities and numerous villas that were engulfed in ashes and lava when Mount Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD, leaving the site buried until the beginning of excavations started in the middle of 18th centuries.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES