Ercolano is a big farming oriented village at the foot of the Vesuvius. Its former name was Resina, which was changed not long ago into Ercolano, from the ancient Roman village dedicated to Hercules, upon which the modern town was built. Ercolano is the starting point of the itinerary reaching to Torre del Greco and called "the Golden Mile" for its wonderful Roman Villas on the Vesuvius. The street Salita Pugliano, part of Ercolano's historical city, is still sided by many ancient rural buildings and leads up to the Sanctuary of the Assunta. The Osservatorio Vesuviano is very important: it is one of the first geophysical centres and definitely the first to study volcanoes from a scientific point of view. Ferdinando II of the Bourbon had it founded in 1845 and committed it to Macedonio Melloni, after whom Matteucci and Mercalli were the directors. Extremely relevant is the Archaeological Area, because the ancient village was completely covered by the volcanic mud and therefore has been kept in its original shape until today: it's like a casket which still has riches in itself to be discovered. In Herculaneum you can find examples of different Roman houses, from the simple narrow hoses of the minor classes, with a long rectangular plan, to the atrium-houses of the upper classes. This type of houses was constructed around the atrium, around which were the cubiculas (bedrooms) and alae (living rooms). The tablinum , used mainly during the warmer season, was a room facing on the garden and the atrium. The garden was often decorated with statues and surrounded by porticoes; the kitchen and the latrine – only aristocrats could afford a private thermal bath- were often next to each other.