One of the most popular visitor attractions in Italy is without a doubt the ruins of the ancient lost city of Pompeii. Buried by the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, the excavated site is a fascinating glimpse back in time to the days of Roman life in the first century AD. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Pompeii attracts over two million visitors every year. And we will add 15 to that count. We left the hotel early to arrive in Pompeii about 10:30 while
It was still cool enough to enjoy. Our guide, Paulo, guide, shared within us information concerning our visit and explained how surprised the people of Pompeii were when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The people had no time to prepare or run for shelter before they were covered in hot ash and gas fumes and about 3/4 of the population died in this eruption. Paulo explained how life was before the eruption. He immediately engaged the kids on what we were going to experience. Our first stop inside the walls was where the gladiators lived and practiced. Theo and Dorsey became the gladiators. Other ruins in Pompeii became a guessing games. From looking at the ruins at another stop, what did the kids think had been on this sight? After of few moments of guessing, Paulo gave the kids clues. As it turned out, he said, it was probably an early Italian McDonald's, where workmen and families could stop for something to eat. He pointed out the serving shelf, where the pans would have been kept warm and where the bread would have been baked. Paulo explained how the roads would have run only in one direction because it wasn't wide enough for the chariots to pass each other. The kids saw how the wheels of the chariots had carved grooves in the stone streets and were shown where horses were tied up along the sidewalks. We went into a former house and saw how the wall were decorated to make the city dwelling look as though it were in the quiet countryside. When we went into the forum Olivia and Bella were chosen to be the actress and the singer for the performances. They were show how the people attending the performance would have found their seat by statues on the rows that were carved to look like chess pieces. We went into the public baths and Paulo explained how there were three rooms of different temperatures and that it was as much a social meeting place as a bath as they didn't have soap at the time. We came to the central part of Pompeii where the temples to the different gods were located: Zeus, Apollo, and Jupiter among them. After seeing the molds of what was found by the excavators we left Pompeii for some gelato before we began our trip back to Sorrento. Hot, tired and sweaty, everyone wanted to go to beach for the rest of the day. Michele, Bella and I had another adventure to come, however. We had an early dinner and then made our way to the Correale Museum di Terranova for an evening of opera! Three musicians, a pianist, a violinist, and a bassist, accompanied a lovely lady and grand gentlemen sign the greatest Italian opera and Neapolitan songs. The first three songs were rather sad and soulful and Bella got sleepy. But the tempo picked up and the songs were lovely and entertaining. We clapped and cheered and gave standing ovations to the singers and musicians. It was a truly wonderful evening for the three of us!
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| Mount Vesuvius |
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| All of us at Pompeii |
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