Naples Part 1: Pompei

Above is a photo from Pompei. However, before talking about Pompei, I should first say something about Naples. After Sardinia, we arrived in Naples in southern Italy. This was our first time there and we both loved it. A lot of the guide books about Italy complain about Naples. They say that it is chaotic, there are no proper traffic lights so crossing the street is 'interesting', and that you have to watch out for pickpockets. The books were right about the chaos. The main square in front of the train station is a busy place. It is filled with cars, buses and street vendors from all over the world (most notably from Africa). The books were also right about the traffic. Your best bet for crossing the street is to tuck in behind someone who looked local and just follow as closely as you can. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any pickpockets, but you could imagine that they were out there.

Ironically, it is the chaotic nature of Naples that made us both love it (it reminded us of South America). We have been back a number of times since. Apart from the chaos, one of the other plus points for Naples (and one of the reasons why we return) is that it is where pizza was invented. The Napolitanos take pizza seriously. However, you will get more about pizza later on in my series of Naples blogs. Below is a photo of the Bay of Naples. In the background you can see Mount Vesuvius. As we all know from our history classes, this volcano is why Pompei is such a famous archaeological site.

As you may remember from the Sardinia post, we took an over night ferry from Sardinia to the Italian mainland. This didn't land in Naples. It arrived in Civitaveccia near Rome. So we had to take a bus, the Roman underground rail system and then an normal train to arrive in Naples (maybe a three hour trip). We didn't had a hotel booked and so wandered around a number of places before we found one with a room. At this point, Robert just wanted shower and sleep (the deck of a ferry not being the best place for a restful night's sleep). I, on the other hand, went to Pompei, which is in a suburb of Naples. Robert later commented that I must have really, really wanted to see Pompei to set off in the full heat of mid-day after a night of almost no sleep. He was right. Pompei was on my list of 'things to do before I die'.
What makes Pompei so famous was its loss and rediscovery. It (and another settlement called Herculaneum which I will discuss in another post) was covered by ash from an eruption from nearby Vesuvius in 79AD. It lay forgotten until 1748 AD when it was accidentally rediscovered. The place is still being dug out. However, what we get is essentially a time capsule of life at that time. This is one of the streets. You can see that it is paved with stone. It also has larger stepping stones that you can use to cross the street when rains floods the streets (which must be a rare occasion, given the climate).

Above, you can see some of the ruins. More importantly, you can see Vesuvius. Geologists say that this would have been a perfect cone shape. So, you can see just how much of the mountain was ejected into the air by looking at what is left of the cone.

The mind boggles at what the archaeologists had to do to dig this place out. Here is a photo of the Coliseum.

Here is yet another area that must have taken a lot of digging. If I remember correctly, this was a public meeting area.

What I found particularly appealing about Pompei, were the little details. Above, you have a courtyard from a wealthy residence. It is quite staggering to think that this little statue managed to survive the volcanic fallout and was completely covered for centuries before being rediscovered.

Here is another example of the little details: a water spout. Obviously, the brass bit is recent, however, there are a number of these spouts on the site that actually work. In the heat, a bit of water to splash on your face is very welcome indeed.
Although I am not an artist, I am always aware of forms and patterns. I think that it is quite amazing that this house wall is build of bricks layed 'diamond-like' as opposed to on the flat.
I was also impressed by the three-dimentional effect in this marble floor.

Also notable were the frescos in the houses of the more affluent Pompeians. It is quite remarkable that they have survived for so long. This particular house was full of frescos: very well off people indeed.

I particularly liked the frescos in this house. It was all beautiful and delicate work.

Above is a close up of the previous photo.
Of course, what Pompei is really famous for are the bodies. Along with the ash from the eruption came poisonous gasses. People died where they stood (or huddled). Their bodies were covered with ash, which then solidified. As the bodies rotted, they left their shapes in the hardened ash. Later archaeologist were able to pour plaster into these molds to get an impression of the bodies. I was expecting Pompeii to be littered with such castings. This wasn't the case. Most of them have been removed. In a few houses, the castings are there, but in glass boxes. Still, the amount of detail is amazing.
I found it particularly moving to be able to see the details of this person's sandal on his/her foot.

The most bizarre thing about the body casts, is that they are stacked up with other artefacts awaiting analysis or placement back onto the main site.
This person, for example, was in the site storage area. You can just imagine the pain and horror that this person experienced. He/she is crunched down, he/she is covering their nose and mouth with their hands because of the toxic fumes... and this is how they died. All very horrible and yet in a voyeuristic way, I snapped photos of this cast along with all the other tourists. If you want to know more about Pompei and the excavations (and to see more photos), Wikipedia has an excellent entry.