Europe Travel Course 2013: Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius

Wednesday we took a 2.5 hour train to Naples and then a 45 minute metro to Pompeii. We had a great guide, Vicente, who walked us through the ruins. The city of Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. The buried city was not rediscovered until the 1700s when a farmer tilling his field uncovered the ruins.

Mt. Vesuvius in the distance.

The city is a remarkable archeological find because it was so well preserved under the volcanic ash. There is still 25% of the city yet to be uncovered.

Sign showing where animals should be brought into the city.

We walked through the main gates, one large one for animals, one smaller one for slave porters bearing goods for m sips. We saw the wheel ruts from the wagon traffic. We walked down the wide main street lined with shops. We were able to go into some shops, houses, and even a spa that welcomed visitors.

Wagons could not enter the main square.

A food stall where hot soup was ladled out.

We stood at the top of the large amphitheater, which is being used for concerts in the summer months.

We also saw the red light district, where incoming sailors visited prostitutes. There was an interesting universal symbol leading the sailors to this part of town. Because people speaking many languages interacted in Pompeii, the prostitutes even had pictorial menu of services sailors could choose from.

Phallic symbol pointing in the direction of the brothels.

From the erotic menu.

Most of the artifacts have been removed from the ruins for preservations, but we were able to see some artifacts in storage, including plaster casts of the impressions people's bodies left in the volcanic ash when they were buried in the explosion.

Girl covering her face.

One of my favorite things was this "welcome mat," a mosaic at the entrance to a home depicting a snarling dog and bearing the warning Cave Canem, Beware of Dog.

After a harrowing bus ride during which our bus driver pointed out the stop signs he was ignoring ("STOP! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" we arrived near the summit of mt. Vesuvius. It was quite a hike to the top over the fine volcanic soil (like walking in sand), but we really enjoyed seeing the steam from the volcano and the view from the top. Our guide. Said there was a 1-7% chance the volcano would erupt again soon.