The year before I had already visited Herculaneum so it was about time to visit Pompeii, the ancient Roman city.
The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Vesuvius. It was the year 79 A.D. (Pompeii Online)
Buried in 79 A.D. and rediscovered in 1748, when a group of explorers discovered Pompeii almost intact under the layers of dust and debris.
Situated about eight kilometres from Vesuvio Pompeii was a flourishing resort for Rome’s most distinguished citizens and attracted many wealthy visitors.
Elegant houses and elaborate villas lined the paved streets. Tourists, townspeople and slaves bustled in and out of small factories and artisans’ shops, taverns and cafes, and brothels and bathhouses. People gathered in the 20,000-seat arena and lounged in the open-air squares and marketplaces. (history.com)
Pompeii remained mostly untouched until 1748, when a group of explorers looking for ancient artifacts arrived in Campania and began to dig. They found that the ashes had acted as a marvelous preservative: Underneath all that dust, Pompeii was almost exactly as it had been 2,000 years before. Its buildings were intact. Skeletons were frozen right where they’d fallen. Everyday objects and household goods littered the streets. Later archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread! (history.com)
Pompeii (like Herculaneum) offers a snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment and shows the everyday life of its citizens.
The walls of the houses are covered with electoral propaganda messages or risque jokes aimed at particular citizens. The signs on the shop doorways indicate the activity carried out there or the name of the owner. Alongside the elegant villas belonging to the nobility and the luxurious residences of the middle class, stand modest houses where several families lived.
The peasant dwellings on the other hand are situated around vegetable gardens or small plots of land. (Pomeii Online)
The House of the Venus in a Shell.
I think I spend almost the whole day walking around Pompeii and still haven´t seen all of it, there is so much to explore and to visit. And it´s a kind of strange feeling walking around an area where so many people have died but also very interesting – very mixed feelings about this.
Even I visited Pompeii in October there were still many people around and the parking place was very full, I would recommend using public transport to visit. There are trains and buses going there. And bring sunscreen, water and comfortable shoes!
