Yes what a day! Our tour left Naples in the morning to arrive at Pompeii. Realistically we needed days to walk these ruins. The guide was like a walking encyclopedia so I decided to look around and eventually do more reading on my own. The gist of what I heard, Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and many thousands of people were killed as volcanic ash and debris fell here and miles away.
Two thoughts entered my mind:
1. Mount Vesuvius does not have lava flows like Mount Etna in Sicily. They are two very different types of volcanoes.
2. Just like seismic activity monitoring at Etna, Vesuvius is also an active volcano being monitored. An important need for the millions of people now living in Naples. Some day this volcano will erupt again.
We toured through large rooms, no doubt used by the rich families living at the top of hills. Heard about the number of slaves, prostitutes and saw numerous phallic symbols. Our guide explained the water system, lead pipes and all, the sleeping arrangements, the thermal baths and an area I can only describe as a brothel. By each door a sex position was drawn on the wall, thus your choice of which door to enter.
I really liked the stepping stones; no one ever walked in the waste stream! People were living on a mountain and earthquake activity never prompted them to realize what volcanic action was. Three casts of bodies were made, but thousands died. Some photos:
Our visit at Mount Vesuvius allowed us to walk at least .12 mile up to the crater’s edge at 3838 feet. It’s a steep climb with loose rock, but very doable; windy and cold the higher you walk. When you see the steam coming from the side wall cracks, you’re quickly reminded about what you are standing on! Some photos:
Time for lunch with wine. Another drive to a vineyard and a delicious lunch with a floral tasting white wine and a dark ruby red wine. I liked the red wine! Interesting how all the minerals from this volcanic area makes for some interesting wines.
It was a good day. Enjoyed it with people from northern Italy, Poland, Scotland, England, Austria, Australia and Greece.
Great info. Love the talk about stepping stones and their purpose — and the white stones to reflect moonlight at night. Makes perfect sense but I never would have put that into my design manual for a pathway. If I ever do one, it will be featured. And then there’s “what’s behind doorway number 3”? Is that where the gameshow bit comes from?