The archaeological excavations of Pompeii have returned the remains of the ancient city of Pompeii, near the hill of Civita, to the doors of modern Pompeii, buried under a blanket of ashes and lapilli during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, together with Ercolano, Stabia and Oplonti. The findings following the excavations, started at the behest of Charles III of Bourbon, are one of the best testimonies of Roman life, as well as the best preserved city of that era; most of the finds recovered (as well as simple furnishings for daily use also frescoes, mosaics and statues), are preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples and in small quantities in the Antiquarium of Pompeii, currently closed: just the considerable quantity of finds is it was useful to make people understand the uses, the customs, the eating habits and the art of life of over two millennia ago.