Italy - Day Sixteen

There simply are not enough words to describe the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. They are the same. They are different. They are remarkable. Unable - or better stated as unwilling - we were accompanied by an archaeologist from Napoli and our friends at Context to explore both of these sites. Our docent, Frederico, an expert in both cities was fearless in leading our pilgrimage.

Like ducklings we followed him and his instructions. A

dock workers protest in Sorrento nearly tanked our plans as they blocked tracks and interrupted service along the line. Luckily - we made it to Pompeii with barely a hitch.

My computer memory like mine is full. I will post pictures as soon as my new external hard drive arrives from the USA. Unlike me - my computer will get memory space restored. I have taken to writing more notes, photographing signs, and reluctantly giving in to forgetting unforgettable images.

This is an image of the entrance gate to Pompeii (Right; at point just past all of the tourist). Pompeii was built on a hill and fortified by a high wall. It was covered with about 60 meters of volcanic ash. The building (center front) are baths for travelers entering the city. Time here froze on August 24th in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius erupted. Uncovered or as our docent says 'brought to light' - is most of the city including public buildings (read: Forum) and residential areas within the city walls.

Herculaneum was located directly on the Mediterranean coast and closer to Naples than Pompeii. Only about one quarter of the city has been excavated because of the modern city built on top of it. Herculaneum was quickly buried and therefore hermetically sealed. The result - unlike Pompeii - some wood construction (doors, stairs, railings, et cetera) was not destroyed in Herculaneum.

This picture shows how deep the volcanic ash was in this area. These buildings (lower) would have been boat houses and the houses (upper) would have look out onto the sea.

Similar yet different - both ancient cities tell us stories about the ancient people of Italy.