Today’s post is 2000 words, 51 photos, a 9 minute read. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

This week I’ll take you on a train ride south of Rome to Naples and the ruins of Pompeii located at the base of Mount Vesuvius. This is the fifth in my series about our visit to Rome in late February and early March. If you missed those articles, click here, here, here, and here.

Pompeii

Before leaving for Rome, we signed up for the one-day tour to Pompeii and Naples conducted by ItaliaTours. We met a representative of the tour company at the Rome Termini Train Station, they made sure we got on the high speed train to Naples. I watched the countryside flow past the window with vineyards, olive groves, and pastures filled with sheep. Also saw some industrial areas and snapped this photo of cars stuck in traffic.

The ride was pleasant and quick, we reach the Naples station in just over an hour. We were met by Rosario, our guide for the day. She was energetic and knowledgeable about Pompeii.

There was twelve in our tour including the three children of a couple originally from Frisco, Texas now living in Norway. He works for a company that services oil drilling platforms in the North Sea. Rosario ushered us to the waiting bus that would take us the 15 miles (about 25 minutes) to Pompeii. Our driver for the day was Ciro (pronounced cee ro), a friendly fellow and careful driver.

Before entering the Pompeii Archeological Site, we stopped for a quick break for a coffee and to use the restroom. We noted the many souvenir vendors ready to sell tchotchkes to willing buyers.

First, a little about Pompeii. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was once an ancient city at the base of Mount Vesuvius. That volcano erupted in 79 AD spewing gases, molten rock, pumice, and ash that covered Pompeii and several other towns. Pompeii was covered with between 13 and 20 feet (4-6 m) of ash and pumice. An estimated 20,000 people were killed, although the exact number is unknown. It was considered to be a wealthy city with nice homes, grand public spaces, and a large theatre. For centuries, Pompeii lay undisturbed and preserved under the ash until it was rediscovered in the 1500s with major excavation not beginning until the mid-1700s. In 1997, Pompeii and surrounding sites were designated World Heritage Sites. The site covers about 170 acres (65 ha) and is less than 1/3 excavated. Archeological work is slow by design to preserve and study the way of life of these early times. A recent discovery of  Roman paintings and frescos was widely broadcast on news stations around the world. Click here to see a report by CNN.

Rosario led us on a two-hour walk through the excavated sites in the park. We hit the highlights, if you wanted to see everything, it would take 3 days. One of first sites freed from the deposits of the eruption was the Large Theatre. It was said to be built around 70 BC in the Roman style. It could hold up to 5,000 spectators. There was a stage and a small arena. I have to say it’s well preserved for being over two thousand years old.

At the top of the Large Theatre, the menace of Mount Vesuvius was clearly visible. The volcano is still active but hasn’t erupted for years, some experts say she is overdue for an eruption.

Here’s a view of some of the territory at the site that is still under evacuation. 

And a view of the village of Pompei, population about 25,000 is the town nearest the archeological site of Pompeii. 

We toured a house that was owned by a well-to-do family. It’s amazing that the frescos, mosaics, and room colors were preserved by the intense heat created by the eruption.

The city of Pompeii has five public baths, where citizens not only went to bathe but also to relax and socialize. In addition, there were an estimated 25 brothels in the city. At the time, it was normal for Roman men to visit brothels, there was no social stigma associated with running a brothel. For sex workers, many were slaves, living and working conditions were harsh. They were often abused. Rooms were small, cramped, without windows. They received no pay and rarely saw the outside world. When no longer useful for work in a brothel, they were stigmatized and ended up in poverty. 

During the excavation of Pompeii, an estimated 1500 bodies of people that were trapped in the hot ash have been uncovered. Plaster and plastic casts were made of some of the bodies that showed they died where they laid. The woman is the class case below was trying to cover her face with her hands when the debris from the volcano hit. It was surreal to see how frozen in time she was on that fateful day. The boy in the photo was carefully examining the plaster mold with all its detail.

Rosario took us past a water tank where people drew their water from. Pompeii was supplied water by an elaborate aqueduct system that flowed through lead pipes. There’s speculation that some people were affected by lead poisoning.

In the photo below, note the carved out area in the stones that were laid in the streets. These grooves were worn by the wheels of chariots and wagons.

In this photo, note the large stones on each side and in the middle of the grooved path. These were designed so that only carts of certain width and high wheels could travel the street. This kept out hand carts usually pushed by slaves or peasants.

As we walked through sections of Pompeii, one couldn’t help but admire the size and design of the buildings. Some had many rooms while others were smaller and less elaborate. Often the room closest to the street was a shop while the family lived in the rear of the building.

This building was a bakery, with a large oven. In the front was an area where the bread and baked goods were sold to customers.

This cat is sitting next to what is thought to be a shop that sold food. A pot of some type was sitting in in the hole with a fire below to keep the food warm. Apparently, most meals were eaten on the street purchased from vendors. Food was cheap and accessible.

The heart of the city was the Civic Forum. It was a large open area surrounded by public buildings, markets, and cultural sites.

As we were getting ready to depart, I noticed this large crane on the territory of Pompeii. It is helping to lift heavy blocks in the evacuation of additional areas of the site.

We enjoyed our time at Pompeii, although it would have been nice to have more time to explore. There’s a lot to see. I’d suggest plan to spend the better part of a day at this interesting. Also note that it can be busy, it draws about 2.5 million visitors a year.

Rosario herded us back on to the bus for the short ride to the restaurant where we would have lunch as part of our tour fee. We were welcomed by the maitre’d who showed us to our table. He was attentive and made sure we had good service.

Soon the appetizers appeared, it was a meal in itself. Then the pizzas started arriving, As soon as we finished one, another came for a total of three different kinds. By this time, we were stuffed but they didn’t stop, next came dessert and a small glass of limoncello. During the meal, we were sloshing down the local wine, I liked the red best. It was all delicious. We were more than satisfied.

When in the area, I recommended Italia Tours for their good communication and professionalism.

Naples

After our lunch, we rode the bus back to Naples. Ciro took us on a tour of the city. Naples with a population of over 900,000 (over 3 million in the greater metro area) is the third largest city in Italy after Rome and Milan. Naples was founded by the Greeks in the first century BC, it’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Romans took over the city after a fight with the Greeks, it seemed like they were always fighting. The city center has been designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its cultural and political significance. Naples is associated with pizza which originated in the poor areas of the city in the late 1700s when tomatoes were added to flatbread. If you like pizza, Naples is a good place to visit.

Our city tour took us to an overlook to see Naples with Mount Vesuvius off in the background. Yes, if the volcano should blow, Naples is in danger. Unless there was a warning, it would be difficult to evacuate, the streets are narrow and the city is built on a hillside overlooking the Gulf of Naples. We passed one of the many marinas. Several scheduled ferry boats travel from Naples to Palermo in Sicily and Porto-Vecchio, Corsica, a French owned island north of Sardinia.

Ciro maneuvered the bus to the historic city center where we had about an hour to explore on our own. The area was teeming with people, many of them tourists. There tons of shops, vendors, and restaurants attempting to lure in potential customers. We certainly weren’t hungry having just had a huge lunch. So we just walked around, admiring the sites and stopping for a refreshment to do some people watching.

We walked through the Galleria Umberto I, a large modern shopping center, named for the King of Italy at the time of its construction in 1890. I was struck by the high glass dome and ceiling. We did a little window shopping then walked over to the main piazza.

The large central Piazza del Plebiscito (roughly translated as “the place where people choose who governs them”) is home to some of Naples most important buildings. The piazza hosts many of Naples important cultural events.

The Basilica of San Francesco di Paola was built in the mid-1800s in the style of the Pantheon in Rome. Unfortunately, the doors were closed and entry was not possible. The interior is said to have several important statues and alter pieces. We did note there were a number of homeless people camped out under the massive columns. Rain was threatening so they needed a place to keep dry.

Directly across the piazza from the basilica is the Royal Palace of Naples. It housed the Bourbon kings while they ruled. It’s now a national library and museum focused on 17th to 19th century history.

There are two statues of the Bourbon kings in the piazza. Here’s one of them.

Too soon our time was up in Naples. Rosario and Ciro took us to the train station where we boarded the fast train back to Rome. Naples is a place to consider spending a couple of days exploring. It’s a bit grittier than Rome but it’s working hard to make a come back as a tourist destination. Even now, nearly 4 million visitors travel to Naples, maybe for the delicious pizza!

The train ride back to Naples was uneventful, we arrived at the Rome Termini at about 6:30 PM, tired but fulfilled by another adventure. However, our excitement was not over.

The Pickpockets

After departing the train, we said goodbye to our new friends that we met on the tour. We headed to the Metro station for the short ride back to the Cavour station near our lodging. When the subway car arrived we boarded and almost immediately a woman began asking my Traveling Partner in a loud and anxious voice about the next stop pointing to the map on the wall of the car. While my Traveling Partner was distracted by this woman, another woman came onto the car and got close enough to open the zipper on the purse my Traveling Partner had strapped close to her front. Another passenger was watching this unfold and started yelling in Italian and making a commotion at the two women to get away from my Traveling Partner. The two women then departed the car just as the doors started closing. The passenger then told us in English to keep a weary eye out for pickpockets, they are skilled at what they do. Fortunately, nothing was taken. My Traveling Partner usually kept the purse zipper locked but had opened it to retrieve her Metro pass. A close call and a reminder to be on guard.

That will do it for this week.

Until next week, happy travels!

Tom