I first went to Pompei about 38 years ago. It was uncrowded and their were few restriction on where you could walk or climb as the case may be .

I remember wandering through the ruins thinking how sudden and tragic these lives ended. One minute living the next gone as ash and poison gas rained down on the residents

I remember being a bit freaked out by the molds made from the harden ash that allowed us to see with body position and facial expressions how many of the thousands who died perished

This trip was completely different . First it was jammed and tightly controlled. Rightfully they have roped off areas that were fragile and put in place measures to control the crowds . It seemed more museum than mausoleum and the focus on the history and life of the time was definitely emphasized. I think in this case Mass Tourism has made the experience more educational and less voyeuristic. I usually hate mass tourism despite being part of it ( if you’ve been to Stonehenge lately you can see how mass tourism has destroyed the experience in the name of conservation and profit) but here I think it’s given it more context and more gravity

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I’m glad I went and for once crowds have resulted in a better experience.