Nov 7: Pompeii!!!!!!!!

It was a total thrill to spend a whole day walking around Pompeii - an ancient city of about 11,000 people that was buried under 13-20 feet of ash after Mount Vesuvius blew in the year 79 AD. Because the volcano had been acting up ahead of time, about 90% of the residents had already evacuated, becoming disaster refugees in the region. They estimate that about 10%, 1000 or so persons, died in the city.

I met a guided tour, then listened to a free audio tour, and then just wandered around - I think I was there for about 6 hours before hopping on the train back to Sorrento. I returned home in the dark, a little sorry to have missed exploring Sorrento, but SO satisfied with my Pompeii excursion. 

Stepping stones used as crosswalks - and the spaces between are perfectly spaced for the wheels on chariots to pass through. 

You can see ruts in the road in the foreground - worn by how many years of chariot traffic?? - but beyond the stepping stone, the road is smooth. Historians and archaeologists think Pompeii must have been doing a road improvement project when everything blew. 

Yep, pizza oven. 

Restaurant - one of 80+ serving the town. Food was stored in urns embedded in the countertop, keeping the food warm or cool as needed. 

Another restaurant.

It was a big town, and it hasn’t been fully restored, but it covers a LOT of ground and it was easy to spend so much time there.

Remnant of fancy column. 

Remnant of a medium-fancy column: brick on the inside, marble likely on the outside. 

Column showing its cost-saving brick interior.

Very famous tile - “Cave Canem” means “Beware of Dog” - !!

There’s another similar site nearby called Herculaneum, and I couldn’t do both in the time I had, but if I’m ever lucky enough to be back I’ll be sure to visit there.