Seeing Mount Vesuvius for the first time as we drove up was pretty shocking. I think in my mind I always pictured Pompeii as a town on the actual slope of the mountain with a view of the ocean close by and I supposed that is partially true, but the tragedy of Pompeii, as opposed to the nearby Herculaneum, was caused by the miles-high ash cloud rather than actual lava flow. Everything was on a much greater scale than I expected but that just made the magnitude of the disaster and the whole affair that much more serious if the mountain could affect a town that is really not that close. As you can see in the picture, the mountain is actually much smaller than it was back in the time of the eruption due to the explosive nature of the event. This picture shows Vesuvius as it is today but in reality if you follow the curve of the left-hand slope its peak would have been somewhere in the top-middle of the cloud which is hovering over it. That just goes to show how much material has been blasted away from the volcano and how destructive on the surrounding countryside.
Once we got into the actual site of the ruins I was thoroughly impressed. The overall size and degree of preservation was astounding because our two-hour tour encompassed a solid amount of them, but we could easily have been there for another two and not been bored. The day was bright and sunny and despite the heat coming off the stones, it was a perfect atmosphere to see a monument affected by such a fiery catastrophe. I wore long-sleeves for the first time on the trip because of my sunburn but it was an under armor type material so it was definitely a good plan because I had coverage and it was very breathable.
Sections of the ruins were lost forever because of extended time and eruption damage but it is clear to see where the walls and structures have been repaired from their original Greek structures by the Romans to save materials. The columns all used to be painted and adorned with designs and frescoes but today all of the stucco has been lost and only the bare columns remain today.
We kept walking and soon got to see the two amphitheaters of Pompeii. One is smaller than the other and they were divided into poetry/drama and music and we took our picture into the first one and sang in the second. The acoustic, to me, was amazing for being outside and despite not having a lot of vocal energy, We sounded pretty good!
As we walked down the main streets of Pompeii I couldn’t believe how alive the city looked despite being buried in ash for hundreds of years. The streets still show the chariot ruts, the stores still have sliding door grooves, and some mosaics have even survived. Here is a montage of some of the sights that I got to take pictures of which show how well-preserved this iconic town is today.
Perhaps even cooler than the architectural preservation was the preservation of artifacts and even bodies from the eruption. The original archaeologist in charge of the dig came up with a brilliant technique which involved drilling a hole into a cavity in the ash and then filling it with liquid plaster. As the ash had hardened around the people, they decomposed and left a pocket of air in their wake. As the plaster was inserted and hardened, the archaeologists could dig away the ash and have a perfect copy of the person in their last position in life. There are also fabulously preserved amphorae and even a wooden wagon.
Lastly, the main square of Pompeii offers a great view of the mountain and I couldn’t help but stop for a quick picture.
We then took the three plus hour bus ride back up to Rome. After checking into our same nice hotel we were able to take some free time and get a leisurely dinner and see some sights. I took the metro into the center of town for only one euro each way with a few of my friends and stopped first to see the famous Spanish Steps. These were a bit underwhelming for me as I had expected something much grander for their famousness but it was nice to get into the city. Here are some pictures of the metro and the steps from top and bottom.
After that we were all really hungry and decided to sop into a restaurant to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. My brother Ty has been thinking that I would talk more about food, so I’ve taken pictures just for him from this meal. I had as an appetizer some flavored focaccia bread and then I bought some stuffed and fried zucchini flowers. Then I got a Margherita pizza (basil, mozzarella, tomato sauce). It was all delicious and I was very happy to have eaten out instead of generic hotel food.
Finally, we left dinner and went in search of the Trevi Fountain. This was one of my favorite monuments in Rome and is basically a statue with living water added to it. It is extremely ornate and full of great workmanship and because of it there were many, many people around. However, I did get to throw a coin into the fountain over my shoulder so as the legend goes I have to come back to Italy.
The first day in Rome was definitely a quick one but if the two sights we saw were any indication of the days to come, I am looking forward to what the eternal city has to offer!
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