The Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

After four days in Rome were were ready to board our ship.  Off for 12 days in the Greek Isles and stops in many islands and Turkey.

Our group of 12 just had to stop and take pictures in front of this statue at the docks.

We got settled into our cabins and checked out the ship.  Had a wonderful dinner as we sat sail.

The next morning we ported in Naples, Italy.  We shared the job of putting together our itinerary and different tours.  It is always cheaper to do this through a travel agent or internet than to use the ships tours.  In fact a couple of widows who were in our group chose to do everything through the ship and paid over 3 times what we paid for tours that went to the same places we visited.

This first day off the ship we were met with a guide to drive down the Amalfi coast.

The Amalfi Coast 

is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the

 Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy.

Unfortunately I became quite carsick on this road... The drops were crazy and the drivers even more crazy!  It was horrid!  

Cars were passing busses on curves, 

making 3 lanes out of 2 with no rails on the outside lane.  

If you know me at all, even if I feel lousy, I will still smile for the camera.

 

We stopped once while driving along the coast then stopped for lunch in a small town.  They wanted us to all go to the same restaurant but a few of us took off on our own and found a nice place with a beautiful outdoor courtyard. We also visited this beautiful church.

Pompeii

The city of Pompeii was an ancient Roman town-city near modern Naples in Italy.  It was destroyed and buried under 13-20 ft of ash and pumice when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD

Researchers believe that the town was founded in the seventh or sixth century BC and was captured by the Romans in 80BC.  By the the it was destroyed, 160 years later, this city had a complex water system, an amphitheatre, gymnasium.  At that time it was actually a port city.  The ruins are now about 6 miles from the coast because of the amount of settlement.

The objects that were beneath the ash were well preserved for centuries 

because of the lack of air and moisture.  

These artifacts provide an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of the city.  During the excavation, plaster was used to fill the voids between the ash layers that once held heman bodies.  This allow you to see the exact position the person was in when he or she died.  

Walking through these streets was an amazing experience.  To think that it was from 700 years BEFORE Christ is unfathomable. 

These round stones were built into the road system. They were used as the cross walks when the city streets were intentionally flooded with aqua ducts to clean away the sewage.  You knew if the street was a one way or two way because the stones were spaced apart to let the wagons drive down them.

This picture is of one of the courtyards where to city administration buildings were.  

If you read above you know that this plaster cast is of a person who died in the volcano that destroyed the city.  It is estimated 20,000 people lost their lives that day.  At the beginning they were just excavating the bones.  Then someone realized they were still completely in tack and if plaster was poured into the ash it made a perfect mold.

The above form made me cry.  This mother would never give her child life.

Seeing the people above brought the reality of this tragedy in history to life.

Many of the things found have been taken to museum's.  

 The rest are stored behind gates but able to be seen.  

A few buildings were enough in tack that you were able to see the elaborate plaster art work that were painted with dyes in the wet plaster.

This is the public bath the men used. I guess today it would be equivalent to the men's only clubs. 

 sky lights in the "gym"

 Notice the elaborate legs on these brass benches.  

 Above is calf feet  below is angels.

 Part of one of the excavated homes.

Don't forget these were 700 YEARS BEFORE Christ.

Above is their equivalent  to our fast foods! Along the street in the shopping district were these clay pots that would have a fire built under them.  The food was sold to the customers from these.

One of the famous floor mosaic's 

The lighting was difficult but if you look closely you see a large black dog.  This is in the doorway to a home.  Under the dog is the words "Beware of Dog"

I know this has been a very different, sad post but I found the history amazing.

Linking this week with:

Blue Monday

Travel Photo Monday

Our World Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Oh the places I've been, Friday