I have spent 2 days walking every single inch of the ancient city of Pompeii. During this time I have stayed at a hostel called Otello Deluxe off of the central piazza in the new city. There is a beautiful church on the piazza with a giant, decorative bell tower, and a little caffe on the corner where I grab a delicious meal of pasta, pizza or salad daily with the new friends I've made at the hostel, many of whom are from the US. Life is pretty good, and I wish I could stay longer, but my apartment in Salerno is waiting.
There are 3 entrances into Pompeii. One at the House of Mysteries outside of the Herculaneum Gate, one off of the Marine Gate, and one near the old stadium. I entered through the later. The entrance fee was €11 for a one day pass or €20 for a 3 day pass. Upon entry they provide a map that is pretty cryptic. There are numbers of different sizes and colors, each relating to a separate key. It was only by miracle and sheer determination that I was able keep track of where I was at any given time. The site is pretty massive, and there is so much to see. I thought they had moved most of the precious mosaics and frescos to the museum in Naples or around the country, but there was much still intact, still brightly colored and brilliant. In my two days I walked every inch of the city that wasn't blocked off, and some of the places that were. I saw all of the most well preseved homes, each of the 5 gates, the forum and temples, a brothel, the bath house, and stadium. There were a lot of people around, but I never felt crowded, and there were even times I found myself on some street completely alone. During those times I would jump or climb through a flimsy barrier and explore further into the ruins. I didn't defile anything by any means, I didn't touch priceless frescos or climb the ruins, I just walked, relishing the quiet and trying to put myself in the footsteps of those who came before me, both the residents of this place in 79AD and the archeologists who discovered and unearthed these ruins centuries later; what an exciting experience that must have been!
Being in this place makes it a little easier to imagine the lives that these people led, the homes they lived in, the temples they worshiped in, the businesses they ran, and politicians they supported. The streets are still grooved from the wheels of wooden carts now decayed and gone, and the crossing stones and narrow sidewalks are worn from the footfall of a people long forgotten. Political graffiti can still be seen on the walls of residences and store fronts alike, though it is beginning to fade. I imagine that one day this will all fade, and Pompeii will cease to exist, a portal into the past closed forever. To imagine that such a thriving community could just vanish in span of a day is almost beyond comprehension. Now seeing how fragile it is it is not hard to believe that this site could a will eventually be lost to us forever. I am really happy to have made it here, while it is still vivid and real. I hope I succeed in bringing this world back to life through my story (see perivious post if you have no idea what I am talking about).
There is not much more to write, which seems strange, considering I tend to be so long winded on everything else I've done throughout my trip, but I think the story of my journey back in time would be better told through some pictures. Expect my book to hit the shelves by 2015. (I hope!)
There are 3 entrances into Pompeii. One at the House of Mysteries outside of the Herculaneum Gate, one off of the Marine Gate, and one near the old stadium. I entered through the later. The entrance fee was €11 for a one day pass or €20 for a 3 day pass. Upon entry they provide a map that is pretty cryptic. There are numbers of different sizes and colors, each relating to a separate key. It was only by miracle and sheer determination that I was able keep track of where I was at any given time. The site is pretty massive, and there is so much to see. I thought they had moved most of the precious mosaics and frescos to the museum in Naples or around the country, but there was much still intact, still brightly colored and brilliant. In my two days I walked every inch of the city that wasn't blocked off, and some of the places that were. I saw all of the most well preseved homes, each of the 5 gates, the forum and temples, a brothel, the bath house, and stadium. There were a lot of people around, but I never felt crowded, and there were even times I found myself on some street completely alone. During those times I would jump or climb through a flimsy barrier and explore further into the ruins. I didn't defile anything by any means, I didn't touch priceless frescos or climb the ruins, I just walked, relishing the quiet and trying to put myself in the footsteps of those who came before me, both the residents of this place in 79AD and the archeologists who discovered and unearthed these ruins centuries later; what an exciting experience that must have been!
Being in this place makes it a little easier to imagine the lives that these people led, the homes they lived in, the temples they worshiped in, the businesses they ran, and politicians they supported. The streets are still grooved from the wheels of wooden carts now decayed and gone, and the crossing stones and narrow sidewalks are worn from the footfall of a people long forgotten. Political graffiti can still be seen on the walls of residences and store fronts alike, though it is beginning to fade. I imagine that one day this will all fade, and Pompeii will cease to exist, a portal into the past closed forever. To imagine that such a thriving community could just vanish in span of a day is almost beyond comprehension. Now seeing how fragile it is it is not hard to believe that this site could a will eventually be lost to us forever. I am really happy to have made it here, while it is still vivid and real. I hope I succeed in bringing this world back to life through my story (see perivious post if you have no idea what I am talking about).
There is not much more to write, which seems strange, considering I tend to be so long winded on everything else I've done throughout my trip, but I think the story of my journey back in time would be better told through some pictures. Expect my book to hit the shelves by 2015. (I hope!)
from the Pompeian fresco collection in Napels Museum
from the Pompeian fresco collection in Napels Museum
from the Pompeian fresco collection in Napels Museum
from the Pompeian fresco collection in Napels Museum
This was actually from a home in Pompeii...amazing how well preserved it is
Frescoed wall from a home in Pompeii
Walking the streets of Pompeii was a magical experience
many of the phaluses were missing from the ruins...strange...
Villa of Mysteries...a very well preserved home outside of the city walls
House of the Faun
House of the Faun....this is just a replica...the real faun lives in the museum in Naples
beautifully preserved mosaic in the House of the Faun
many frescos included faces or masks like this
The House of the Vetti...home of a couple of bachelor brothers...lots of pictures like this aparently...were they trying to compensate for something?
Another famous fresco from the portico of a house in Pompeii
Lares or household gods
one of the many wine shops
wheat grinding mills in one of the many bakeries
Amphitheater...some 20 years or so before the eruption that buried the town, a riot broke out at one of the games and Emperor ordered that there would be no more games for 10 years
House of the Tragic Poet
one of my off the beaten track finds
the Forum
I am baseing my characters off of some of the casts found at the site...this will be one of them
scary how detailed some of the casts are....one still has teeth
In the bath house....they heated the rooms and baths by heating these spaces under the floors
Beautiful church in the new city center of Pompei
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