In June 2008 we did a day
trip from Rome and intended to visit Pompeii and Naples. The day did not go according
to plan. A strike meant that the Pompeii site was closed and after a trip to Mt
Vesuvius we ran out of both time and energy and never made it to Naples. You
can read about that day here.
We were determined to try again.
We arrived at Pompeii early,
checked our bags into our hotel and entered the huge archeological site before 10am.
The Roman city captured in time by the volcanic eruptions of 79AD was worth
coming back to see. The city was tragically covered with metres of ash and lava
and lay buried for fifteen centuries. Exploration and investigation, particularly
over the last 250 years, has revealed the size, scope, artistry and humanity of
the first century Roman world. Most poignant are the plaster casts of the victims,
which have been created by filling the voids in the ash left by human bodies.
They represent the exact position of these people at the time of their death. Fountains,
temples, villas and shops can all be viewed and compared with contemporary counterparts
today.
In 2008 Pompeii and Naples defeated
us. Today we returned in triumph, albeit rather weary after 26,000 Fitbit steps
(14kms of walking).