For our first visit to Pompeii, we had heard that wandering around on one’s own can be overwhelming so we had organized a tour guide. That was good advice. What we hadn’t realized was, that back in January while planning our trip in the RV in Troutdale – Ellen had inadvertently booked TWO different tours – on the same day!
Luckily, that turned out well. Our two guides took us to different parts of that huge complex and shared different information. We arrived at 9:00 am and staggered out around 4:00 – exhausted and blown away by the experience. Pompeii, like Herculaneum dies not underwhelm!
It is a city forever frozen in time and is a sad paradox – the very event that gruesomely took Pompeii — Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD — preserved the daily events and life in that ancient city. Excavations through history have given us touching images of an unavoidable tragedy, and reactions of the Roman people right up to their last moments; lovers in an embrace, hurried escapes, bread still in the oven. It is tragic and fascinating.
Our guides brought the city to life and it was so sad to see the terror of those final hours The people of Pompeii didn’t know that the mountain was a volcano – even though there had been an awful earthquake about 15 years earlier.
While most of the frescoes and mosaics and statuary have been moved to the archeological museum in Naples, you can still see the stepping stones used by Pompeians to avoid dirty debris and rain on the streets and marks made by the wheels of chariots, owned by a wealthy resident. Walking through Pompeii, you see the traces a city that didn’t know the end was coming— bakeries, markets, courtyards, graffiti, and murals that all portray a city caught tragically unaware of what was coming.
We enjoyed the “modern” city of Pompeii as well. Our hotel was right near the ruins and a great cafe and over the ‘Mericano Bar and Pub. We went back to our roots and ate burgers and ribs. And the town dog that seemed to appear whenever Chris walked around Pompeii showed up as well!
Chris and Ellen’s 2022 European Adventure 