Italy Adventures - Pompeii

 

Happy Italy Tuesday! Thank you for joining me as I re-cap our trip to Italy. We'll get back to the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento on Friday but today, we are going to go back in time and explore the ruins of Pompeii.

 The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius lasted 2 days, over 19 feet of volcanic ash covered Pompeii. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to experience a catastrophe like this.  Excavations didn't began in earnest until the 1700s and it was amazing how much has been unearthed that has shed light on what life was like all those years ago.

I'll take this opportunity to say that the historians that our tour company hired were excellent. I say historians because, in Italy, there are hoops you have to go through before you are able to lead groups through historical sites and places.  

One of the more recent discoveries, Pompeii fast food,  or as it was called, the thermopolium. Citizens whose kitchens weren't safe, or did not have kitchens, would gather to eat at the counters of the thermopolium.  Ready to eat meals were kept warm in terra-cotta containers sunk into the counter. The thermopolium was also a place for people to gather and exchange news, chat with merchants and see what was going on in other parts of the town.

Above is the "Teatro" where performances were held. Although I didn't get a picture, they also have one of the oldest Amphitheaters in the world (constructed in 70BC). It was mostly used for Gladiator events.

Imagine living in a town without modern plumbing....most of the roads were built lower then the buildings to allow for wastewater to flow easier without getting into businesses or homes. 

Raised cobble stones, like the one Ed is standing on, were used to get from one side of the street to the other.  

This is the Temple of Apollo, built in the 6th century BC was used for religious and political meetings.

Frescos (paintings done on fresh plaster) that have been recovered give a small window into what life must have been like in Pompeii before the eruption.

Here is a video/slide show of everything we experienced in Pompeii:

Thanks for joining us during our tour of Pompeii, I'll be back Friday with a peek at Sorrento, another coastal town.

We are joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for the 

Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!