If one visits Naples, a trip to see the ruins of Pompeii is a must, even if it is not a happy one.
We had booked our tickets for a 14:00 guided tour before leaving South Africa. We travelled from Naples to Pompeii by train, first the Underground and then the inter-city train. Finding out where to report was rather difficult and, at first, we went to the entrance to the ruins themselves. There, one had to enter through a security gate with an approved ticket. After a short time of wandering around to find where to ‘book in’ we were able to do so and were pleased to learn that we would not have to wait another hour before starting the tour. As the 13:00 tour was not fully booked, we were able to join that one.
Once the guide was ready, he led us downstairs and through a busy restaurant to where a lady was distributing maps and earphones, referred to as Whispers. These are amazing in that the guide’s voice can be heard from a long distance away. We then walked up to the main entrance and through the security to start the tour. Once inside, getting to the ruins themselves meant walking up a long, steep hill but, it was well worthwhile.
So, let’s start at the beginning. In 79AD, the two Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were found at the base of Mt Vesuvius, with populations of 20 000 and 5 000 respectively. Mt Vesuvius is a volcano which had been dormant for hundreds of years. During the morning of 24 August 79AD, this date is currently being disputed, the volcano began to rumble and this continued until about noon when it erupted, spewing a 10-mile high cloud of ash and rocks into the air. Some of the rocks measured up to 3 inches in diameter and it was these which killed some of the people who had been going about their regular daily duties such as shopping and attending school. Pompeii had a brothel which has been excavated while Herculaneum sported some magnificent villas and grand Roman Baths. These finds have shown what decadent lives the people of these towns were living.
Pompeii was hit first as the wind was blowing in the opposite direction to Herculaneum’s location. It was hit the following day by a thick layer of volcanic ash and, like Pompeii, was completely destroyed and thousands died. The lava covered many of them and set as hard as rock, preserving everything perfectly, even organic matter. Two thousand bodies have been found in Pompeii and dozens in Herculaneum; men, women and children. Speaking of children, we were surprised to see how many small children had been brought to see Pompeii. Look at the photo of the body of the child and see the face of the child looking at it.
In the 18th century the 2 towns were rediscovered and, because of the perfect preservation of the bodies, frescoes and other artefacts, it was possible to build an accurate archaeological story of exactly what had happened. Excavations continue today.
How does one describe what is seen when arriving in Pompeii? Walls and streets are still black and scorched. It was quite eerie to think that people had walked these streets and now they are silent. Although not there at the time of the eruption, we were told the St Paul had visited Pompeii and walked the streets of the town. One of the interesting rooms we saw was that of a bakery. The millstones for kneading the bread were still standing and we were told that loaves had been found in the oven. Another piece of evidence that the people were going about their daily lives when the unexpected eruption took place.
Many of the roads had concrete blocks in the middle. These were to make crossing the street easier when flooded from heavy rains. The towns were supplied with water which flowed down the sides of the volcano, but this was seasonal and storage wells had been created so that water was always available. There was no running water to homes, so the women had to walk to the wells daily.
As the towns were destroyed during Roman occupation, there were occasions when the Emperor or his representatives came to visit and so there was a forum for meetings with the town’s leaders. Next to the forum were statues of Octavia and Marcellus, relatives of the 1st Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar.
Elsewhere there were statues which had survived intact. The one of the large man had no explanation. There were also rooms full of excavated artefacts.
As we walked around the town’s ruins our guide explained what the various buildings had been but, unfortunately, it is difficult to recall what each photograph depicts but they still evoke hard memories.
To catch the train back to Naples was another test for us as well as others. We could see the tracks and the platform but there were the south-bound tracks which had to be crossed. Inside the ticket office there was a set of steep stairs with signs indicating the cloakrooms but nothing to show how to get to the other side. One young lady kindly agreed to run down the stairs to see if that was the way to go. She came back to say that it was so down we went, along a dimly lit passage and up another set of steep stairs to arrive on the platform. We returned safely to the city of Naples.
