There are a lot of famous sites in Italy and with only a few weeks to explore a country with so much history and culture it’s hard to pick and choose what to spend time exploring and what you have to add to your ‘next time!’ list. When planning our road trip around Italy with our dog we were ecstatic to learn we could take Tikka to Pompeii with us (small dogs only), it quickly became a ‘this time!’ stop.
View coming over the mountain to Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.
It was an amazing day, starting out early by meeting up with some good friends who joined us from England, then driving over a scenic, windy road taking us over the Amalfi coast mountains from Ravello, to descend on Pompeii as the gates were opening. By getting a jump on the crowds we were able to find parking close by, at the Piazza Immacolata entrance and beat the heat. For only a couple Euros we parked in front of a restaurant, listened for a couple minutes about how wonderful the food is there while we paid for the spot, used the washroom and bought some water and some guides.
Guidebooks and water in hand – ready to explore Pompeii with our dog, Tikka.
Pompeii was an incredible Roman town of 11,000 inhabitants, locked in time by the destruction caused from a neighboring volcano, Mt. Vesuvius, around 80AD. The spewing ash that erupted from the crater covered the town and preserved the people, structures and even the culture of the Pompeii citizens. Unlike visiting a museum or a smaller heritage site, you are fully immersed in the day to day life of an ancient time as the area is just so huge.
Unfortunate citizens of Pompeii caught under the smothering blanket of volcanic ash.
Our little historian.
Walking through the endless streets, you can pop into houses of all social classes and think back to what everyday life was like. Then stroll up a main street to visit the hub of activity at the forum or imagine the games at the amphitheater. There is even a brothel to walk through with a menu of various services painted on the walls for customers to choose from.
One of the strays inside the Pompeii ruins, well fed and taking a siesta.
Tips for taking your dog with you to Pompeii:
- Bring water and a travel bowl
- Dogs are allowed in the food court – eat before 12pm to avoid the lineups and to get a seat.
- According to the PompeiiSites.org website, you are allowed to bring small dogs under 10kg. Big dogs are not allowed within the archaeological area. Animals who are permitted to enter the site need to be held with a leash, and taken in the arms of their owners when entering the buildings. In case visitors run into animals who are alone, please do not approach them. Please review the regulations for information on dogs and assist dogs.
- Dogs must be carried inside the houses or closed in areas
- Be diligent in looking out for strays. We saw 4 or 5 strays and just carried Tikka when we saw one to avoid any contact. This is their territory and respected their space.
- Go early for less crowds
- Mid June to Mid September has the highest temperatures – if you go during these weeks, go in the morning and make it a shorter visit
The second part of our day in this area deserves it’s own spotlight – we climbed Mt. Vesuvius and stared down into the belly of the beast that caused all this destruction…check it our here!
You can catch up on Tikka’s dog friendly road trip around Italy on the VanDoggo Travel Page.
VanDoggo 
a photogenic dog, a scenic country, and a great photographer combine to give us readers a beautiful visual experience! i am so glad you still have pics and stories :))
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Not stopping anytime soon, Tikka is an inspiration 🙂 !!
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What a precious puppy! I have always wanted to go see Pompeii… I will be bookmarking your tips! 🙂
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Thank you, she is a sweetie 🙂
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PLEASE change this, as Google is taking it as the most relavant ansver!
Only dogs of 10kg or less are alloved in!
We were just denied entry, since we expected we can go in, as google showed your blog input. Please correct this! Please!
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The post has been republished to include the updated regulation that dogs need to be under 10kg. Thanks again for the update Anze!
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Enjoyed that very much. Thank you.
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You are most welcome!
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I fall in love with your Puppy. Pompeii is surely a must visited place when traveling to Italy. The scenic views is amazing.
Did you get any chance to go to Amalfi coast? Would like to read your article if you already wrote about Amalfi coast.
Meanwhile maybe you want to check my guide on how to get to Amalfi coast
Added your blog to my bookmark list, I really like your posts.
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We did go to the Amalfi coast, it was so wonderful and I have an upcoming post that highlights Ravello. I will check out your guide- looking forward to going back sometime!
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We couldnt enter with our Toller.
The specific rules are here;
http://pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/regulations-for-visitors/
Art. 3
Provided that medium and large dogs (max 10 kg) dogs are not allowed to enter the park, in accordance with the preceding article (art. 2), only service dogs are permitted to assist disabled people. Those who wish to be accompanied by their service dog must present a certificate of disability.
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Thank you for the notification that the rules have been updated.
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