naples and pompeii 2017 (part 2)

I think that most people would have gotten the impression that I was not blown away by Naples. I am not sure that Johnny would agree mind, don't get me wrong, it is so worth the visit just to say you have experienced it but yeah, it's just dirty. That said, for me, the highlight of the trip came on the Sunday when we made our way to the ancient Roman town/city of Pompeii. 

Pompeii was established sometime between the 7th and 6th century BCE in the south of Italy and became a colony of the Roman Republic in around 80 BCE. In 79 AD, the volcano Mt Vesuvius erupted and gradually buried the town in metres of mud, ash and pyroclastic debris where is remained perfectly preserved until about 200 years ago. You can access the whole archaeological site for about €13 however, on Sunday, it is free (bonus!). It's important for those of you who want to visit here ensure you have a whole day. You also need to know that in order to get to Pompeii, you have to ride what has to be the most dodgy train I have ever been on. There are some photos in my shared Google Images folder so I won't add another here however, that isn't the worst part. It takes about 40 mins to get from Naples central station to Pompeii and on the way there, you pass through several very sad looking stations, some of which you don't know the name as the signs have been covered in...yes you guessed it....graffiti.

So back to the city. Inside some of the ruins are museums where they have kept casts of some of the ancient inhabitants of the city who were not lucky enough to escape (a note that I read in Pompeii says that actually only around 200 people perished, the rest managed to escape). It isn't how some people think where you can go and stand next to the dead humans, they have all been moved. Those in the museum are casts that have been filled with plaster due to all the biological material rotting away. It makes sense anyway, like they would let tourists (with all their bad habits) stand next to actual people. Pretty disrespectful if they did. 

The town/city is just so well preserved, you can not help but feel you are walking through the ancient place itself. Everywhere you look there are temples to all the important gods, temples to the emperor (Vespasian). The bank, shops and villas are all available to visit where you can sometimes see preserved mosaic floors and even political slogans on the walls. There is plenty for all to see so don't worry if you get irritated with tourists, you can avoid them and come back later. Due to the fact that it is also an active archaeological dig site, not everywhere was available, including the very sizeable amphitheatre. The tour guides are quite useful, they break the city up into poor area, rich areas, the forum etc. Surprisingly, information signs are available in English if you can not be bothered to spend €5 on an audio guide. Tour guides are also available for €25 but nah, not for me.

The final thing to say on Pompeii. In the distance, you can see Mt Vesuvius casting its shadow over the whole landscape from the distance. It is said that the eruption was so powerful, it blew a large chunk of the top of the volcano off leaving behind that caldera that exists today (and that you can go and visit). All in all, a very successful and fun trip. I returned on Tuesday ready for a quick turn around on Wednesday. Thursday then leads to another 4am start as I head to Gran Canaria for Winter Pride 2017.

For more photos of Naples and Pompeii, feel free to view my Google Photos album. here.