Pompeii - caught the bus to Sorrento - the bus went right along the peninsula and we could see Praiano most of the way… great for both of us to enjoy the view without having to worry about the traffic - some hairy moments on the bus when we had some close shaves as two buses (or a bus and a truck) met on a bend…..
Train to Pompeii was very straightforward and when we got there, even better - it was culture week and the entry was free!!! Bargain.
Pompeii is the most amazing place - so hard to imagine life as it was back then, but quite remarkable the excavations…. Took a few photos….. Very long day and by the end of the bus trip back, was feeling a bit queasy!!
Imagine the two sides meeting at the top - that's how tall it was, before it blew away!!!
No wonder the devastation was so great...... and no one really had a chance.
Of course, the obligatory school children...
These stones in the road meant that they were pedestrian walkways - just like the cobbled streets in Rome
This gives a sense of how big the town was - the road is at least a kilometre long - shops and houses would have lined both sides.
There are so many artefacts still not properly catalogued (and there are more in the museum in Naples...)
Plaster casts of the way the people died - taken from the excavations.
This is an actual dog that died in agony
Taking shelter somewhere didn't help.....
The bath house was lined with frescoes and statues
This was a takeaway food bar - the pots would be put into the holes and kept hot for passers by
An example of the frescoes in the houses - they didn't have windows so they painted the walls with outside scenes
One of the house kitchens
Another view to see how long the streets were....
The stepping stones were so that when the streets were sluiced with water, people would not get their feet wet. An irony is that even the ancients sluiced down the streets for hygiene reasons, but now in Rome the whole system banks up in the rains and fill the river with shit!
Just one example of the art and statues to be found all around the site
Using these gorgeous coloured tiles in lovely patterns is a feature of the architecture
Some of the houses were enormous....
The frescoes on the walls of the brothel left nothing to the imagination - although the stone beds and pillows would have been a bit hard!!!!
Some examples of the types of food sold at the local markets.
Had a few drinks at Bar del Sole - if we had discovered it sooner, I think it would have become Graham’s local in Praiano. Picked up two lovely pizzas for dinner - total cost 8.50 Euros! Bargain day…….. Even have enough pizza for lunch or dinner tomorrow.
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