Chiara Vitale
I grew up in Castellammare di Stabia, under the volcano, and spent six seasons on hotel front desks in Sorrento. Which ticket, which train, which gate, how many hours: I've answered these more times than I can count.
Now I live in Pompei, ten minutes on foot from the Amphitheatre gate, and I go into the site most weeks on a MyPompeii card. This site is those desk answers, written down and checked against the park's own tables and notices. Prices and hours carry the date they were updated. If something is wrong, tell me: the form is here.
Where the figures come from
Pompeii: the Archaeological Park's pages on tickets and prices, hours, the visitor regulations, the list of open buildings and its notices, its map with the three paths and its guide. Vesuvius: the national park's rules for the Gran Cono path. Herculaneum: the park's own site. Tours: Viator listings, with ratings that combine Viator and Tripadvisor. Each block on a page names its source and the date it was read.
What I don't do
I don't take every tour, and the pages say so. I don't quote reviews, because I don't have their text. I don't guess minutes, prices or rules that the sources don't publish. Where a figure is my own estimate, the page says it's mine.
Tours
Tours are compared by what the listing actually includes: which ticket, where you meet, how many hours inside Pompeii, what the day adds. How tours are compared explains the bar and the order.