Matt and I were both surprised today by the amount of time we spent in Pompeii…
We awoke a bit later today; around 9:30. Once again we attended breakfast upstairs in our hotel, and then set out for another fantastic day. Matt had done some research and found out where to get tickets for the train to Pompeii so we set out around eleven for the train station. We bought a package deal for 17 Euros each to go roundtrip to Pompeii via the Circumvesuviana rail, along with entrance passes to the ruins. We were aboard the train by 11:16 and arrived in Pompeii just before noon.
On our way to the entrance to the historic city, we bought a book complete with updated routes and maps to help guide our trip. As we approached the entrance we found that they rented Audio-guides for 10 Euros; since we already had our book we opted not to get the audio.
The city originated during the 8th Century BC but didn’t get its modern name until 89BC. Pompeii was buried under about six meters of volcanic ash and sand around 79AD. Over 20,000 people died by being crushed by collapsing roofs or gas inhalation. Pompeii was a lost city until the 17th century when it was accidentally found. Excavation began on the city around 1748.
Matt and I were extremely happy that we visited the National Archaeological Museum of Naples before we visited Pompeii. We were able to connect pieces of art that we had seen in the museum with their original homes. They have some replicas in place in the ruins, but they just don’t do the original pieces justice. It also helped us with the history of Pompeii.
The day was very hot; we’d guess it topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately we chose to bring Matt’s Camelbak today, so we filled it up at the drinkable water taps (acqua potabile) that are scattered about the ruins, and we drank steadily from it. Unfortunately some other kids in their late teens/early twenties did not. While I (Andrea) was in the bathroom, Matt was outside where one of these kids first tripped over the high curb and fell on his knees on the rocky street. I heard a loud thudding sound as I was making my way back out of the building that housed the bathrooms, but that wasn’t that kid hitting the street with his knees. That was the same kid hitting the sidewalk with the back of his head as he passed out, apparently from dehydration. This would be tragic, except that they had a bunch of water with them, which evidently they just weren’t drinking. Not only that, but according to Matt the three other friends just sat around while their friend wavered and passed out. There’s a happy ending to this story, though, as we passed them later in the day and they were all present (and seemingly coherent). But I’ve heard that you’re invincible until you turn 25, anyway.
We walked a tremendous distance, and covered a good chunk of the ancient site. We were both a bit surprised as to just how large the city was; seeing as it was obliterated in the blink of an eye, we were under the impression that it was a small town, almost a village, but this was really a sprawling ancient metropolis.
When we finally exited the ruins (somewhere between 4 and 5 PM), we had a late lunch at an outdoor cafe in Domus Pompeiana. Matt had Lasagne al Forno and I had a pizza with ham, salami, and mushrooms. Both were excellent. We also got two soft drinks, and twice a bee came along and climbed into my Pepsi. The first time the waiter was kind enough to replace it; the second time there wasn’t any Pepsi left in it anyway. 🙂
matt & andrea 