Gilmour books Pompeii summer gigs, 44 years on

Guitarist David Gilmour will play the ancient Roman amphitheatre at Pompeii on July 7 and 8, 45 years after recording a documentary there with former bandmates Pink Floyd, Italy's culture minister said Wednesday.

"Deal done. After 45 years David Gilmour is returning to play Pompeii on July 7 and 8, #PinkFloyd #LiveatPompei", Dario Franceschini tweeted.

Adrian Maben directed 1972 'rockumentary' release "Pink Floyd, live at Pompeii" at the venue.

Filmed in October 1971, the work was notable for having no audience at a venue which can hold several thousand.

The film was mixed with extra footage filmed in Paris before a 1974 re-release and a 2003 'director's cut' on DVD.

The concert will be filmed in high definition and shown in cinemas for three days to generate extra revenue with concert ticket sales insufficient to cover all the costs of staging the event, Panorama weekly magazine reported.

Following Gilmour, 70, who recently released a successful solo album "Rattle that Lock," will be Elton John, who will play Pompeii on July 12.

Gilmour will launch a summer tour in Poland on June 25.

Pompeii, buried in volcanic ash after the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius, is Italy's second most visited tourist site after the Rome Coliseum, welcoming 2.7 million visitors in 2014.