Raffaele

The Local Archaeologist

  • I live in Naples
  • I speak English, Italiano
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 10 hours

Hi there! Nice to meet you

Raffaele

I'm a Neapolitan Archaeologist with 14 years of field experience on my neck and I am an Official Tour Guide of the Campania Region. I have a degree in Archaeology, a master in Classical Archaeology and a Ph.D. in Archeological Heritage -with a project on a Pompeii's roman building.

I did my FIRST archaeological excavation at POMPEII and since 2008 I have been part of an International Team of Archaeologists where we found a Roman bath in an area of the Vesuvius never discovered before (Apolline Project); my love for history brought me to many dig sites around Italy (Rome, Molise, Etruria) and since the 2015 I am Archaeologist Member of the Vatican Team Commission for Archaeology in particular for the excavations of the Catacomb of Naples (St. Gennaro).

- March 2021 I discovered a roman villa built outside the city walls of the ancient Pompeii.

- The municipality of City of Pompeii has awarded me the Prize for 'great and honorable guide' (Oct 2019)

- In December 2021 the Nobel Prize Prof. Mario Capecchi was on a tour of the Archaeological Museum of Naples with me.

- In September 2019 the Nobel Prize for Medicine 2011 Dr. B. Beutler was with me for a tour of Pompeii.

Also, I am working as researcher on an archaeological excavation here in Naples (the underground of Naples is an amazing world!) and you can find my published research papers about Pompeii or Naples on Academia edu under my name. Since I was a child, I have always loved the ancient history of Greece and Rome as well as art from the Middle Ages to the 20th (1900s).

* Possibility of arranging a private transport with driver upon request: if you need it, ask me.

  • I live in Naples
  • I speak English, Italiano
  • Verified Local host
  • Response time less than 10 hours

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Reviews

Dave
6 March 2025
Raffaele was the ultimate in punctual, prepared, and very warm and entertaining. His knowledge and credentials are excellent, and he steered us to all of the best that a day trip to Capri can offer. He even helped us juggle dates of the tour so we could attend another. His recommendations for cafe, lunch and dinners were perfect. Thank you Raffaele. We will be back, and we will look you up. Highly Recommend Raffaele!!!
Jennifer
5 March 2025
We had a fantastic tour around Pompeii with Raffaele. He provided us with a lot of fascinating information about the history of the site and the inner workings of the society. We highly recommend doing a tour with him! Amazing learning experience!
Phil
4 March 2025
Raffaele is an excellent guide! He made our tour feel like a very personal experience, not only because of his amazing in-depth knowledge of the history of Pompeii (before and after the AD 79 eruption) but his stories of the people who lived there made the place come alive!The ONLY way to see Pompeii!
Leanne
2 March 2025
Patient with our kids, such a wealth of information, easy to communicate and ask questions. Fantastic tour
Tina
27 February 2025
This was an exceptional tour with Raffaele. He is an expert — classically educated archeologist and historian—with great insight and a wealth of knowledge. Pre-tour he quickly (and patiently!) answered all of our logistical questions. I would highly recommend this tour. Excellent!
Catherine
15 February 2025
We met Rafaelle at the site and found him to be extremely knowledgeable, easy to understand, and personable. He brought the city, and its unfortunate end, to life. Great tour, great guide.Excellent guide for ercolano
Amanda
15 February 2025
Raffaele was an excellent tour guide for our multi-generational group. From age 7 to 78. He was excellent with the kids but the adults also were engaged and we all learned a bunch! I'm so glad we decided to do a tour instead of trying to see Herculaneum on our own.Excellent tour!
Thomas
8 February 2025
We had a delightful and informative visit to Herculaneum with Raffaele. He emphasized how tragic the eruption in 79 CE was for the residents, who fled to the water for safety. It was sad to see skeletons of bodies that were pushed into the walls by the sea. The temperature of the air was estimated to be so high that wooden beams all around the town turned to carbon rather than burning. We were surprised how many of the buildings were two stories. Raffaele showed us all the highlights of the ruins and wall paintings and mosaic fountains. It was fascinating to learn about the history and culture from a trained archaeologist. After the visit, he recommended we try a restaurant in Sorrento, so we headed there and had a lovely lunch at a seaside restaurant. Highly recommend a visit, tour or other heritage exploration with Raffaele. Informative visit with a true expert
Peter
5 February 2025
We had a great time exploiring Pompeii and Herculaneum with Raffaele. He was able to shed information on many intersting areas in both spots and really helped us understand what life and the ultimate demise of these cities was like in anchinet times. Thanks Raff, it was a great day, despite the rain!
Anna
3 February 2025
Raffaele was fantastic. We did a day trip from Rome with my husband and 2 kids (13 and 15). Unfortunately both kids were a bit unwell on the day, however, they still loved their Pompeii experience, largely due to the information and insights shared by Raffaele. He was friendly, easy to understand and able to answer any questions without hesitation. He is very passionate about the Pompeii site and the discoveries there. It was very busy on the day we were there, however, it did not bother us at all as Raffaele was able to take us on routes that were not overrun with people. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience and I thoroughly recommend Raffaele.Raffaele was great!

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