Pompeii/Herculaneum

Weather forecasts in Italy are never accurate. For example... right now my forecast says that it is raining in Cortona. Last I checked it was sunny. Other days it will say the temperature high will be +8, but it will actually be +16. Both of these examples are positive discrepancies, and I really can not complain. In other cases, the forecast will be for sun, and it will pour.

Darn rain...

Such is the case in Pompeii this past weekend. I wondered if maybe it would rain, so I packed my umbrella. But then when we arrived, it was sunny! So I left my umbrella in my backpack... on the bus. Of course it would rain. It is rather difficult to use your fancy camera in the rain. BUT! I still managed to capture much of the excavated city.

Pompeii and Herculaneum are cities "frozen in time" from the classical world. In 79 AD, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii in lava and Herculaneum in boiling mud flow. The only survivors were those who fled the cities days in advance. A few centuries ago, these cities were partially excavated. This provides us with a snapshot of what life was like back then. Compared to the ruins in Rome, these provide us with a much better idea of Roman cities.

We wandered through the Triangular Forum - basically the entertainment center of Pompeii, the Roman Forum - the political center of Pompeii, the House of the Faun, the Forum Baths, and the Villa of Mysteries. A key thing about Pompeii is that it wasn't originally Roman. First it was an indigenous city of Samnites, then it became a Roman colony and much of the architecture was "Romanized" to show this.

Theatre in the Triangular Forum

Stepping stones to cross streets - to avoid getting your feet dirty!

The Capitoleum and Mt. Vesuvius

Almond Blossoms in the Forum

Wall Painting inside the Villa of Mysteries

One of my favourite things about Pompeii/Herculaneum? The Kyra-sized doors. I didn't have to duck when everyone else did! Haha!

Our hotel for the night had an amazing view of the sea, and the supper was amazing also. We got roasted potatoes! Oh YUM! Highlights: "I want to feed the fish! How do I say that? Manga pesca?" "No Erin, I think that means you want to eat the fish."

Mt. Vesuvius over the Tyrrenhian Sea

Herculaneum ended up having gorgeous weather. Of course this would be the day I put my umbrella in my purse. *Shakes head* Some of the major differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum (besides the weather): Pompeii was a working class town, Herculaneum was a vacation spot. Pompeii's forum has been excavated, Herculaneum's has not. Pompeii was covered in lava flow (meaning much greater damage to the city), Herculaneum was covered by mud flow (meaning some rooftops and wooden staircases have been preserved). In both cases the seafront was pushed back a km or two.

Here we saw more baths, the House of the Stag, some incredible wall paintings and floor mosaics.... and enjoyed an afternoon of SUNSHINE!

Enjoying the wall paintings in the House of the Stag

House of the Stag - View through the garden to where the sea used to be

Another Kyra sized door...

Herculaneum