We visited Pompeii, an ancient Roman city about 14 miles southeast of Naples, Italy. It was founded probably 8-9 BCE but did not become part of the Roman Empire till 89 BCE. It was a prosperous town of 10-20,000 people (though partly destroyed in 62 AD by an earthquake). It was famously completely destroyed and perfectly preserved when Mt Vesuvius errupted in 79 AD and over the next 24 hours buried the town in ash and pyroclastic matter. First Intense volcanic rain caused roofs to collapse and forced people to take shelter, trapping them, then the pyroclastic flow: swift, burning clouds of ash and gas engulfed the city, killing remaining survivors.
Pompeii was a sea port, known for its olive oil and wine in particular and had many large villas, a Central Forum, five baths (with hot, warm, and cold plunges, a gymnasium) which had a huge social component, and 25 brothels!
The town remained buried and forgotten along with other nearby towns such as Herculaneum until officially discovered in 1748, though parts were uncovered in the late 16th century. Many things were perfectly preserved such as bread baking in an oven, frescos on walls, fountains and roads. There are stones in the roads so people could cross the roads without stepping into sewage. Chariots entering the town had to have their wheels precisely measured so they would fit between the stones.
The town had a justice hall (basilica), a Forum (surrounded by temples, the woolen industry, and a large market), along with the baths, many, many shops and some lovely villas, with their own baths, fountains, atriums, fresco painted rooms and tiled floors and gardens. There was more room for large villas with gardens in Pompeii than in Rome at the time. There was also an amphitheater and a colliseum, though the latter only has a small fraction of the steps uncovered. About 15-20% of Pompeii remains uncovered and is buried about 9 feet deep. Focus is on preserving what has been uncovered. Most roofs were made of wood which is why the buildings are “topless”.
The water is now about 2 km from Pompeii…below you can see the metal rings for boats although the sea is now far away.
Many of the buildings were two or more stories, many with shops below and living quarters above, though most were crushed by the ash, some steps survive.
Below: signs to the brothel and paintings and rooms with stone beds (no lingering); pay was enough to buy a glass of wine.
Below, the amphitheater, a Roman “stop sign), Mt Vesuvius in the distance, a villa, a shop with a counter.
Below, paintings from a Villa, and the entrance with a fountain.
Below, the Colliseum, amphitheater and shops.
Bottom, the Forum, and center, plaster casts of victims of the disaster.
We took the 8:14 train to Pompeii. We stayed from 9am till 4pm when we took the 4:25 train back. We took a 2 hour group tour on arrival, then wandered on our own, had lunch and explored further. We were going to climb Mt Vesuvius, but it was a 40 minute bus ride away, and getting cloudy over the top so stayed on in Pompeii. In the afternoon it was much less crowded than at opening, the weather was nice, low 60s, and as we walked further away from the Forum, we had many streets to ourselves. We all really enjoyed the visit. Next up: Naples Museum to explore the history further.