An American couple waited a lifetime plus an extra two and a half months to visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii together.

Colleen and Marvin Hewson, retirees from the Detroit, Michigan, were first in line when the archaeological site reopened to the public on Tuesday following Italy’s coronavirus lockdown.

Their long-delayed visit capped an unlikely adventure that had stranded them in modern Pompeii, a small tourist town, since early March.

Virus Outbreak Italy Stranded Tourists
Colleen and Marvin Hewson’s trip to Pompeii was originally meant to celebrate his 75th birthday and their 30th anniversary (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

“We have been patiently waiting since then for the ruins to open,” Mrs Hewson said as the couple got the chance to stroll through the ruins of the Roman city destroyed in AD 79 by a volcanic eruption, trailed by journalists capturing another milestone in Italy’s reopening.

“Here we are, we finally made it inside – it only took two and a half months,” Mr Hewson said.

For the Hewsons, seeing Pompei was meant to be the highlight of a trip celebrating his 75th birthday and their 30th wedding anniversary.

Mr Hewson, a history buff who visited once before while serving in the US Navy in the 1960s, had always vowed to get back – the trip was his wife’s gift to him.

The couple arrived in Rome on March 5 for the holiday of a lifetime – her first time overseas.

By the time they made it to the gates of Pompeii several days later, the popular tourist site was closed and Italy was under lockdown due to the coronavirus epidemic that broke out more than 500 miles to the north.

Attempts to book flights out failed and they resigned themselves to life under lockdown.

Virus Outbreak Italy Stranded Tourists
Marvin and Colleen Hewson with Fabio Sposato, the owner of the apartment where they stayed (Alessandra Tarantino/AP)

Back in the US, their four adult children relaxed when they realised their parents were far from the epicentre of Italy’s virus outbreak and in good local hands.

“We made a great connection with our Airbnb host family,” Mrs Hewson, 63, said.

The host, Fabio Sposato, translated news for her and her husband, and helped keep them busy, tasking them with picking oranges and lemons from trees near the condominium where they stayed and teaching them to make limoncello.

‘’It helped to pass the time,’’ Mr Hewson said.

Under lockdown, they fell into a routine, walking more than 7,000 steps a day, often to a grocery shop near the archaeological site that allowed time to sit on a bench and gaze upon the ruins.

“Wishing we could be inside,” Mrs Hewson said.

In all those weeks “our Italian never got better”, she said, adding they would use charades to communicate things they were looking for in the shop.

The pair are leaving Pompeii on Tuesday for Rome, where they plan to spend a couple of days sightseeing before returning home to Michigan at long last.

Since Italy’s restrictions on movement have eased, their Airbnb host has driven the couple to the Amalfi coast, expressing surprise at the lack of traffic.

“We took care of them as if they were our parents,” Mr Sposato said.

“We did what we could to make them comfortable respecting the restrictions that were in place.”

The couple said they feel lucky to have been able to spend the lockdown in such a beautiful setting.