According to the hotel concierge, it would be easier for us to take the train to Pompeii than to drive through Naples. We opted for the train and the ride was uneventful, but even from the train the view of the City of Naples was depressing.
There is a significant amount of graffiti throughout Europe and Naples had more than it's share. I decided to not take photos because trash was everywhere. While writing this blog I found an entire web site dedicated to graffiti as an art form and I regret not capturing some of the images.
The ancient Roman City of Pompeii was more impressive than I anticipated. It was so well preserved that you could really feel how the people lived. We had an excellent guide and spent several hours exploring the streets and buildings.
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| Some walls exposed three different styles of construction that occurred over 3 centuries. |
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| When they constructed the streets, they placed small chips of white marble in between the stones. These were called cat's eyes and they reflected moon and lamplight in the paving stones to guide travelers home. |
There was a great deal of mosaic stone work inside Pompeii. During our travels in the Middle East and Europe, we have seen many beautiful mosaics and purchased a few for display. They are framed and mounted on a wall in our new Florida home. The most expensive mosaic was created by Ilio Filippos (center one in the picture below) in Florence, Italy. The
Pitti Mosaici marble sculptures (as they refer to them) are amazing.
In Pompeii they used stone mosaics to create carpets in living areas and entry ways. They also created borders and decorations in walk ways. Their skills were very advanced in this art form.
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| Even along the sidewalks there were mosaic designs. |
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| This was at the entry to one villa and indicated you should be aware there was a dog. |
It was amazing how well the mosaics were preserved. However, I was most impressed with the preserved paintings on the walls.
If you have ever read about Pompeii and the volcano that buried it you know that Pompeii was a prosperous seaside town. The Romans traveled there for vacation.
Pompeii had a sophisticated underground water system and streets were flushed daily of sewage and trash. The paved streets had stepping stones so pedestrians could cross without stepping in the mud and the carriages could still pass.
There were theaters, chariot races and gladiator fights.
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| This is the area behind the theatre where the gladiators trained. |
At the time when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD there were over 10,000 residents.
National Geographic Kids has a good description of the eruption and life in Pompeii.
Archeologists are still uncovering artifacts and have areas of the city yet to be explored.
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| Scientist can study the people who were killed in the eruption. They cast their forms into plaster by filling the voids found in the rocks where their bodies were covered with ash. |
Our guide told us that the Romans invented fast food. Cafes were set up along sidewalks on the edges of the street with large clay pots to keep the food hot. They could serve easily to those passing by.
Here is one of the marble counters for a "fast" food restaurant in Pompeii.
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| The counter was next to the sidewalk and close to the street. |
As we left Pompeii I passed by a sculpture that was just recently placed in a large open area close to the city center. Pompeii has been inviting artists to create sculptural works incorporating archaeological fragments from the ancient Roman site near Naples. It was a striking site.
After our exciting adventure in Pompeii, we went back to the city center in Sorrento for a lovely dinner. The wine was delicious and the people watching was very entertaining.
We ended the day enjoying the nighttime view from our wonderful terrace.
Another great day.
Ciao,
Brenda
