Boscoreale Antiquarium

The Boscoreale Antiquarium is a museum just a short distance (about 2 km) north of the Porta Marina entrance at the Pompeii ruins (it is signposted from this entrance). Opened in 1991, the Boscoreale Antiquarium features exhibits from the archaeological sites of Boscoreale, Oplontis, Herculaneum, Pompeii, Terzigno and Stabiae. Because it is a smaller museum and much less visited, it provides a quiet, calm introduction to the Pompeii sites (before tackling the crowds at Pompeii and, to a lesser extent, Herculaneum). I highly recommend it.
If you wish to visit Boscoreale, along with Pompeii and Herculaneum (as well as Oplontis and Stabiae), you can buy one ticket (valid for three days) that allows entry to these five sites (the adult price of €20.00 is a slight bargain if you plan to visit two sites, but a huge value if you will visit all five; note you can only visit each site once during the three days).


Its permanent exhibit features three plaster casts, including the original plaster cast of the famous Pompeii guard dog (thank you, Rick Bauer, for the following three photos).



Occasionally, the museum may offer special exhibits in an upstairs space. Recently the Boscoreale Antiquarium held a special exhibit on the plaster casts (which, it is thought, may be transferred to the remodeled Pompeii Antiquarium in late 2010 or early 2011). Thank you to Rick Bauer for providing the following photograph from the special exhibit:

As you leave the Boscoreale Antiquarium, you pass by the Villa Regina, the only Pompeii-era villa open to the public. The villa, excavated between 1977 and 1980, was a typical Roman farming settlement specializing in winemaking.