Welcome to Naples
Pompeii Ruins Excursion
We left Rome late last night and arrived in the port of Naples today a little after lunch. Like EVERY other stop on our itinerary, there were so many choices on excursions and you could only pick one (on occasion you could squeeze in two). So today we bypassed Naples so we would be able to spend the afternoon touring the ruins of Pompeii. We boarded our bus a little after 1 pm and set off on about a 40 minute drive to the ruins. Our guide, Guido (not kidding, his name really WAS Guido!) was an outstanding story-teller. In late October Mount Vesuvius exploded and the residents of the town of Pompeii were terrified. Most left and escaped to neighboring towns, including Naples. But when the next day passed without incident they all returned. The following day was a bright sunny day and little did the residents know that it would be the last day in the existence of Pompeii. Early in the morning on that 79 AD morning Mount Vesuvius erupted sending a torrent of mud and ash thousands of feet into the stratosphere and then it came plummeting back to earth. It hit and within 90 seconds it had swept from the mountain to the Mediterranean Sea and immediately thereafter the explosion incinerated everyone and everything that wasn't buried under the tsunami of mud & ash. It wasn't until thousands of years later that the city was discovered, frozen in time. As of today some 1,400 citizens have been recovered while the other 24,000 were vaporized by the explosion. These are the photos of our walk through the remarkable village that to this day still shows so much about Roman daily life.
The outskirts - where the brothels were located
The erotic art / advertisements-sign menus of services offered still remain
Family of four - bones still intact - frozen in time (note skull showing of mother at bottom left)
One of many storefronts on main street - note the counter facing the street and the groove for the wooden door in front
What Guido called the "Internet Cafe" of Pompeii - the Forum where hundreds of people mingled every day
Pompeii home with tiled foyer still intact today
Another home with the tiled fountain intact - water came from the masks and the dolphin in front
Another victim....went to sleep and never woke up
Yet another home where the fountain area has mosaics on the walls, still intact, in color and in full detail
Main Street - one of two in Pompeii, lined with homes and storefronts
The ruins of the forum with Mt. Vesuvius in the background
A ruined neighborhood in Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background
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