Road Tripping through Italy . . . Stop 1

 . . . Pompeii!!  As a child. . . I think it was 5th or 6th grade . . . we learned about Pompeii in history class and even saw a documentary of senarios that could have possibly played out when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  I was enthralled!  Ever since that time I have dreamed of visiting this horrific place. . . of walking the same streets that were entombed almost two thousand years ago . . . and I finally did :-)

 

My parents, husband, and I touched down in Rome, Italy to spend three or four days of traveling through Italy before starting off on our Mediterranean cruise.  We had a rough itinerary in our heads but were open to changes and ideas . . . it was a good thing we were open to changes!  When we landed in Rome, it was raining . . . raining hard.  We decided it would not be a great day to visit the Colosseum or the Vatican . . . where else could we go?  I suggested Pompeii!!  We had a rental car and Pompeii was several hours to the south, we could make it in plenty of time!  About half way there we stopped for a bathroom/coffee break.  It was quite amusing.  Dad had ordered an espresso coffee to go . . of course there was the language barrier and all . . he was given his espresso in a used, glass juice bottle with a Dixie cup on the top.  It was a very interesting way to serve a beverage to go.  ha!

When we arrived in Pompeii we decided to reserve our hotel first, freshen up and have a late lunch.  We then proceeded to the excavated grounds of this ancient, haunted city.  A little history of Pompeii before we begin our journey . . the city is believed to have been founded around the seventh or sixth century BC and was taken over by the romans in 80 BC.  At the time of it's destruction it was a thriving metropolis with approximately 20,000 inhabitants, a port, gymnasium, complex water system and amphitheater.  The disadvantage to this community was the looming mount of Vesuvius which was located approximately 5 miles away.  In 79 AD Vesuvius erupted, raining down on the inhabitants of Pompeii for 6 hours straight.  The city was buried under13-20 feet of ash and pumice and had been preserved for thousands of years due to the lack of air and moisture.  Pompeii was a lost city for about 1500 years until it was rediscovered in 1599.  Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with approximately 2.5 million visitors annually.  What makes it such a unique find from the rest of the ancient sites is that, according to Wikipedia, "It is the only ancient town of which the whole topographic structure is known precisely as it was, with no later modifications or additions."  After reading the brief history of this ancient city, are you not intrigued as well??

Pompeii was bigger than I had imaged . . a LOT bigger!!  It was also preserved more than any other ancient city I had visited to this point.  The cobblestone streets showed evidence of carriage wheels but deep groves that were cut into the stone . . . there was a complex water system containing drains, aqueduct for over 25 street fountains, swimming pool and at least four public baths.  We were given a map when we entered the complex however the titles were all in Italian.  We also had Rick Steve's Italy 2006 traveling book to keep us company.  The original frescos on many of the structures were amazing! The detail and multiple colors were beautiful, if not at times somewhat disturbing.  We also found some pretty awesome mosaic tile floors which were surprisingly intricate.  There were a plethora of original pottery with a few casts of human beings which were entombed in the ash.  They were pretty creepy, yet fascinating.

(one of the few human "casts" made from the ash and pumice)

 

 

 

 

(many colorful frescos on the walls of the gymnasium)

 

Overall it was an amazing experience to share with some of the people I love most in this world!  And to top it off. . . we met Rick Steves!  How absolutely crazy is that??  We were there in Pompeii touring the archeological sites and using HIS book as our reference!  He was there finding more information for his next book, Italy 2014.  We were attempting to take a family picture with Mount Vesuvius in the background when dad says "Hey, I just saw what's-his-name!!  The guy that wrote the book!"  We were too busy trying to get the perfect picture that we didn't pay too much attention.  After the picture was obtained, he states again "I saw the guy that wrote your book. . .what's his name?? oh yeah, Rick Steves!"  I couldn't believe it!  Clayton and I took off at a run in an attempt to catch up with him, he was gone!  I was saddened at the missed opportunity . . . when, about five minutes later, dad states "There he is!!"  We cut him off and obtained an introduction, picture and a signature on my out of date and "old" book, as he put it.  What an adventure!