I took a journey to Pompeii, about 2 hours to the south of Rome. Rome is hot, but Pompeii is stifling. It was very hazy, so Vesuvius is barely a shadow behind Pompeii. On the ride, I crossed over the ancient Roman road - Via Appia ( The Appian Way). It is lined with umbrella pines, which are all over Italy.
Pompeii was an ancient Oscan town. (The Oscans were an Italian tribe even older than the Latin tribes that founded Rome.) The name Pompeii in Oscan means to import or trade. Pompeii was a port town, and later became a vacation spot for wealthy Romans. Over 20,000 people lived there at any time. In August of 79AD, a large earthquake rocked Pompeii around lunchtime. Mt. Vesuvius started spewing smoke and ash. A man named Pliny the Elder saw the eruption and described it as an umbrella pine, with a tall trunck that spread out at the top like branches. (We would decribe it as a mushroom cloud). Most people did not know what a volcano was, and didn't understand the danger. The wind blew the enormous cloud south over Pompeii. A little while later, ash and pumice started raining down on Pompeii, blocking out the sun and polluting the air with toxic fumes. This lasted for two days. Most people fled, thinking this was a judgement of the gods. Others hid in their homes, and died because of the fumes and ash blocking them in their homes. Most of the town was buried in ash and pumice. It was rediscovered in the 1700's, when a canal was being dug. Archeologists have uncovered about 2/3rds of the city. They have found temples, markets, homes, fountains, roads with stepping stones, and all sorts of artifacts. When digging, they found hollow places in the pumice. So they poured plaster inside to find out what they were. They found that the hollows were people, in the position of how they died during the eruption. It makes the tragedy more realistic.
I didn't get to see the whole city, but I got to see some famous places in Pompeii. I saw the Forum (civic/market place), the House of the Fawn, the bakery and the bathes. Most of the artifacts have been taken to museums, except some of the orginal frescoes that are still there. It was really hot, and got more humid as a storm came in. It rained, and even the rain was hot. So everything was hot, and sticky. Altogether it was neat to be there and see Vesuvius looming in the background.
Pompeii was an ancient Oscan town. (The Oscans were an Italian tribe even older than the Latin tribes that founded Rome.) The name Pompeii in Oscan means to import or trade. Pompeii was a port town, and later became a vacation spot for wealthy Romans. Over 20,000 people lived there at any time. In August of 79AD, a large earthquake rocked Pompeii around lunchtime. Mt. Vesuvius started spewing smoke and ash. A man named Pliny the Elder saw the eruption and described it as an umbrella pine, with a tall trunck that spread out at the top like branches. (We would decribe it as a mushroom cloud). Most people did not know what a volcano was, and didn't understand the danger. The wind blew the enormous cloud south over Pompeii. A little while later, ash and pumice started raining down on Pompeii, blocking out the sun and polluting the air with toxic fumes. This lasted for two days. Most people fled, thinking this was a judgement of the gods. Others hid in their homes, and died because of the fumes and ash blocking them in their homes. Most of the town was buried in ash and pumice. It was rediscovered in the 1700's, when a canal was being dug. Archeologists have uncovered about 2/3rds of the city. They have found temples, markets, homes, fountains, roads with stepping stones, and all sorts of artifacts. When digging, they found hollow places in the pumice. So they poured plaster inside to find out what they were. They found that the hollows were people, in the position of how they died during the eruption. It makes the tragedy more realistic.
I didn't get to see the whole city, but I got to see some famous places in Pompeii. I saw the Forum (civic/market place), the House of the Fawn, the bakery and the bathes. Most of the artifacts have been taken to museums, except some of the orginal frescoes that are still there. It was really hot, and got more humid as a storm came in. It rained, and even the rain was hot. So everything was hot, and sticky. Altogether it was neat to be there and see Vesuvius looming in the background.
PS - This was the first Burger King I've seen in Italy. I've seen McDonalds in a few places, but I thought this was pretty funny. I didn't eat there though.
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