If you travel to Naples, Italy, in the Campania region, you can take a short trip and see the remains of Pompeii. In addition to being the site of Pink Floyd's 1971 concert film Live at Pompeii, the ruins of Pompeii provide a fascinating look at high culture at the peak of the Roman Empire. If you take La Brea Avenue south, or north, to Wilshire, you will be very close to Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples, LACMA's new exhibit of rare ancient works of art excavated from the destroyed homes of upper-crust Pompeiians and neighbors from the nearby Bay of Naples. Boasts Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg director, “Pompeii was a place where art and creativity flourished, where patrons and artists alike coalesced to form a thriving cultural hub — much like Los Angeles today.” Hot lava ahead?

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: May 3. Continues through Oct. 4, 2009

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