I've not seen them - but there are posts both here and on tripadvisor that mention seeing/being frightened by snakes at Pompeii

Go to Herculaneum instead... Smaller, buildings with second stories. Not as popular but just as interesting and less walking. If you want more you can visit the Villa Oplontis nearby. Much of the best bits of Pompeii are in the museum in Naples.

We were there for a few hours, so I'd say that depends on your interest level.

When we were there, the fountains were running - and there were quite a few. We just refilled our water bottles whenever we came across one.

Some areas have shade but many of the main areas do not. I saw people with umbrellas to create their own shade.

This thread is from March and it wasn't topped by the OP.

I would like to add that it's always been what the UK newspapers call "scorching" when I've visited, and that would include in February, when it was too hot for me. Which has led me to wonder why it was the site of a settlement, given that it seems to have been a pretty hot and exposed place to build a town.

does anyone know or have a sensible suggestion for why they built there?

@ annhig -- maybe because of the shade from Vesuvius? (Just kidding.) I believe there is some evidence suggesting that the area was cooler then than now, but I could easily be wrong. Certainly, the current ruins -- with little to prevent heating from light reflected off the stone -- would be likely to be hotter than the current surrounds. Whatever microclimate conditions existed at the time Pompeii was settled may have been quite different than those that exist today, and selection of the site for a settlement may have had more to do with the options for harborage and fresh water. Just some unfounded thoughts about an intriguing question! I'll be interested to see what we learn....

annhig - it had a good water supply and was closer to the coast than it is now - obviously - because the 79AD eruption extended the coastline.
Remember the site is in ruins. Everything had a roof once.

janisj - please cite *one* recent post from Trip Advisor that discusses snakes. I read the TA forums every day and in the seven years I've been doing this, not one snake post has appeared.

Everything had a roof once.>>

even the streets and public spaces? I think not.

actually the point that the sea might well have been closer is a good one as is the idea of climate change. It's also possible that Vesuvius did have something to do with it - it you stand in the Forum and look across to the altar, what would then have been the top of Vesuvius [which of course got blown away in the eruption] is straight in line.

but it's still bl..dy hot!

Pompeii is on a plateau - and as such its ancient occupants could keep watch for their enemies.

Remember Pompeii wasn't 'born' a Roman town. It was said to be occupied by the Oscans - and in the early 8th century BC the Greeks had established a colony on Ischia and their influence extended in the area for the next century. The Etruscans also had a presence in Campania. The Samnites were next. Pompeii was a Samnite town before it became a Roman town.

Just because some people find it hot doesn't mean it actually is hot. Local people who are born there wouldn't know any different and for them, the temperature is normal. Pompeii's colonnaded houses were designed to maximise shade and keep rooms cool.