Editing Tourism in Italy (section)

==Vacation in Italy in ancient times==
[[File:Ercolano 2012 (8019396514).jpg|thumb|Ruins of [[Herculaneum]]]]
It was the [[ancient Romans]] who invented the concept of "[[vacation]]".<ref name="studiarapido">{{cite web|url=https://www.studiarapido.it/turismo-e-vacanze-nella-roma-imperiale/|title=Turismo e vacanze nell'antica Roma|access-date=14 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> The vacation was the prerogative of the [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patricians]], the wealthiest social caste, who owned villas outside [[Rome]], mainly in the ''[[Latium]]'' hinterland and on the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian coast]].<ref name="montanaritour">{{cite web|url=https://montanaritour.it/il-turismo-nellantica-roma/|title=Il turismo nellantica Roma|access-date=14 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> The most popular place in [[Roman Italy]] to vacation was [[Naples]], an important cultural centre and a place that attracted artists, philosophers and scholars of the time.<ref name="montanaritour"/>

The ancient Romans also visited Italy to learn about their origins, especially in regards to the history, ancient legends and myths related to the [[founding of Rome]].<ref name="studiarapido"/> Among the most popular destinations for this type of vacation were the [[Circeo]], where the jug was kept which, according to tradition, had been used by [[Odysseus]] during his stay with the sorceress [[Circe]].<ref name="studiarapido"/> Another destination was a visit to the ship with which, according to tradition, [[Aeneas]], a hero destined by [[fate]] to the founding of Rome, had arrived on the shores of ''Latium''.<ref name="studiarapido"/>

At the height of the [[Roman Empire|imperial era]], the city of Rome became a destination for aristocrats from all over the [[Roman province]] who visited the capital to admire its most important monuments such as the [[Colosseum]], the [[Ara Pacis]], the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] and the [[Trajan's Column]].<ref name="studiarapido"/> However, the vacation resorts were numerous, from the [[Italian Lakes|lakes of Northern Italy]] to [[Sicily]]. The most visited by the ancient Romans were the [[Phlegraean Fields]], [[Pozzuoli]], the hill of [[Posillipo]], [[Baiae]], [[Cape Miseno]] and the [[island of Capri]].<ref name="studiarapido"/>

In particular, in Baiae, which was characterized by a favourable climate all year round, there were natural springs of sulphurous hot water with healing properties.<ref name="studiarapido"/> The city then became a famous seaside resort, embellished by the presence of spas and luxurious villas.<ref name="studiarapido"/> Here [[Julius Caesar]], [[Pompey]], [[Marcus Licinius Crassus]], [[Cicero]], [[Seneca the Younger]], [[Caligula]] and [[Nero]] owned a villa for vacationing.<ref name="studiarapido"/> Other important vacation localities of the ancient Romans were [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]], which were destroyed by the [[eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD]].<ref name="studiarapido"/>