POMPEII:

The excavations began in the eighteenth century at the wish of King Charles of Bourbon and continued thereafter in a more or less continuous way up to the present day. It is currently estimated that about two thirds of the ancient city has been unearthed, including the city center with public buildings. The main entrance to the excavations is Porta Marina; among the most interesting buildings are the Temple of Venus, the Basilica, the Teatro Grande; the best preserved houses are Casa dei Vettii, Casa di Melandro, Casa del Centauro and Villa dei Misteri. In the Via Orto dei Fuggiaschi many casts of the inhabitants of Pompeii were found who tried to escape from the deadly rain of ashes and lapilli.

HERCULANEUM:

it suffered the same fate as Pompeii, it was annihilated by the fury of Vesuvius.

On the second day of the eruption, 25 August 79 AD, in addition to the consequences of the eruption, it was hit by a tsunami that covered it with mud, lapilli and debris. The mud solidified into an extremely resistant material which paradoxically preserved the city.

The excavations,

Herculaneum have returned Villa dei Papiri built overhanging the sea which housed over 1800 papyri and extraordinary sculptures.

The initial excavations date back to 1710. With Charles III of Bourbon, in 1738, the first excavations organized with the underground tunnel technique were started and from 1828 "open air" excavations were authorized until 1875.
From 1927 to 1958 the works brought to light the area that can currently be visited.