Pompeii

It is difficult to express the emotions I felt when visiting the city of Pompeii. just south of Naples.  Here was a history lesson from my youth, one that had fascinated me as a teenager, and had never lost its luster for me as an adult.  I continually pinched myself as I strolled through the fascinating ruins, cityscape, amphitheater, dwellings and structures.  There is some evidence of recent crumbling, but the site is in remarkably good condition.  Many of the artifacts are in the Archeological Museum in Naples, which I also visited.  But to see the plaster bodies with vivid facial expressions, colors, mosaics, columns, statues, inscriptions, frescoes and baths from the typical middle class Roman city gave me shivers of amazement.  Mt. Vesuvius can be seen from every point within the city and one can sense the power and terror that must have exploded that day in 79A.D.  Twenty thousand residents lived in Pompeii, a city that had existed since 600 B.C.

large amounts of artifacts and a plaster body cast

Baths of the Forum

House of the Faun

Pompeii had a 100 mile long aqua delivery system

colors are still amazing

corridor down to the Amphitheater

authentic display of winery and city  layout

Just look at that face!

The Forum - typical Roman cityscape

Forum

stone bed in brothel

Pompeii's streets were were cleaned daily with gushing water -
these are stepping stones

Marina/original gate entrance