Last night it rained with lightening and thunder, so this morning was quite beautiful all fresh and sunny. The humidity was gone...for the morning anyway. We set off on the 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Pompeii (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) expecting to arrive at the high point of heat for the day, but turned out there was a nice breeze and I brought my umbrella along for shade, so was quite comfortable! Over the years I'd heard so much about Pompeii I was really looking forward to seeing it and walking around, and it did not disappoint.
A little history:
The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, were mostly destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 ft of ash and pumice in the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
Researchers believe that the town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC and was captured by the Romans in 80 BC. By the time of its destruction, 160 years later, its population was probably approximately 20,000, with a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium and a port.
The site was lost for about 1500 years until its initial rediscovery in 1599 and broader rediscovery almost 150 years later by Spanish engineer Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre in 1748. The objects that lay beneath the city have been well preserved for thousands of years because of the lack of air and moisture. These artifacts provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Roman. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill in the voids between the ash layers that once held human bodies. This allowed one to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died.
Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years. Today it has Unesco World Heritage Site status and is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year.
As we passed through Naples, we saw the Gulf of Naples in the distance. Naples is mostly an industrial city, not pretty at all from the freeway but maybe nicer by the water.
Our tour guide for Pompeii was quite "colorful", an older gent who had grown up in Pompeii and had lived there his entire 81 years. As he took us through the streets of Pompeii he showed us where the shops had been, the high rent district, the public baths, and the "red light district". He led us through a brothel which had rather graphic erotic pictures on the walls, in addition to traces of graffiti! Covering a total of 163 acres, they are still excavating Pompeii and finding new artifacts.
After the tour was over we were led to a big room where an artist demonstrated how to make cameos, then to the factory/shop where - surprise - you could buy one (or more) of the real thing. We were warned to avoid all the shysters outside hawking cameos as they were surely plastic and probably made in China. For those of you who are going to Pompeii and wonder if a visit to the cameo factory is worth your time - my advice is "ehhh"...
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| I love these tourists with their wide brimmed pointed hats |
In this region of Italy, they grow the hugest lemons "Sfusato Amalfitano" and oranges I have ever seen - we had some lemonade slushes before boarding the bus for the return 2 1/2 hour ride. Willie loves fresh orange juice (as did my dad!).
As soon as we got in the bus it started pouring rain. When we stopped for a "stretch" break it stopped at that instant, and then when we got back in the bus, it started pouring again. Go Ahead Tours must have a special connection with the big guy in the sky!
This was our last night in Italy, and all the Go Ahead Tour folks gathered in the hotel lobby for a final Good-bye toast. We went around the room stating which city or experience was most memorable for each of us - Willie started out with "Rome - the Colosseum"...Bill said "Florence - everything about the city and its history"... and I said "The gondola ride in Venice with Bill and Willie, just drifting through the canals taking in all the sights, especially the beautiful flowers spilling out of the window boxes everywhere".
Willie is already talking about our next Go-Ahead Tour. He has it all planned - where AND when.
Stay tuned!
Willie is already talking about our next Go-Ahead Tour. He has it all planned - where AND when.
Stay tuned!
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