Pompei & Herculaneum Ruins

I took the train from Napoli to Pompei, a 45 min. journey. I didn't know what to expect but when I arrived, I was overwhelmed. The town of Pompei which was buried under volcanic ash in the year 79 A.D. is a large town just discovered in 1594 and dug up around 1748. Originally, 20,000 people lived in Pompei but an earthquake 10 years prior to the eruption left much fewer people in the town. Over 2000 people perished during the eruption and work still continues today to uncover parts of it. I had my trusty map and guidebook and took off in the direction with the least amount of tourists. I had headed away from some of the main attractions so there was hardly anyone around. Being by myself, I got completely lost in my head and felt like I had literally stepped back into time 2000 years. Pompei did have an eerie feeling but I just put myself into that time period. Trying to take it all in as if I were living during that era. I had brought my lunch so I found a fabulous spot within the ruins overlooking Mt. Vesuvius. I was completely by myself, no tourists, and enjoyed my picnic in the beauty of the mountains, sun shining down on plants, trees, and the remains of houses.

I continued my journey through the ampitheater, gardens, and best preserved and oldest colliseum in Europe. I stumbled upon a vineyard that had been recreated (they had wine in Pompei back in the day), beautiful frescoes, and water fountains. What struck me most were the mosaics. Centuries and centuries old, these mosaics had withstood the test of time. In the bath houses, homes, kitchens (some with holes for the pots of food), bedrooms, some fancier than others but each place decorated with amazing mosaics and paintings in each room. I spent over 4 hours exploring, jumping in and out between ancient houses, columns, and cobblestone streets. I ended my day by watching the sunset over the bay of Naples while also overlooking the ruins. The history of this space is utterly amazing. I was overjoyed to step back in time and truly feel history.

The next day I went to another ruins called Herculaneum which was more of a resort town (4000 people originally) compared to Pompei and was much closer to Mt. Vesuivius when it erupted so long ago. However, this town was not covered in ash but covered in thick volcanic mud. The result killed everyone but also preserved the town just as the ash had with Pompei. However in Herculaneum, you can still find wooden stairs, doors, and beams, some even charred from the volcanic mud and fire. There are still paintings and frescoes on the walls. Columns, homes, and courtyards still exist. I was at first a little disappointed when I approached these ruins for they are much smaller than Pompei. But once I got deep into the ruins the same magic appeared and I was using my imagination to transport me back. Over 300 skeletons were found on the outskirts of this town which used to be the ancient beach. They were likely killed from the boiling surge clouds sweeping down from Vesuvius. There is a huge statue of the mayor and warrior of that time on the outside wall of the town which would have looked over the beach that used to exist there. I can just picture how magnificent this town must have been, all of the houses and plazas overlooking the ocean. The beautifully painted and mosaic floored villas, flowers & plants, the ancient cobblestone pathways and roads with huge water fountains carved out of stone. The ruins of this Roman fishing town had quite the effect on me.