Pompeii and Napoli, Italia

I've started taking advantage of Rome's central location in Italy, and took my first day trip the other day! My destination was Pompeii, by way of Naples, as I've wanted to visit the ruins since I was a small child (yes, that does mean that I was a strange, strange child, are you really that surprised?).

Pompeii was utterly amazing, and I saw it in the rain, which meant that it wasn't swamped with droves of tourists.

The Forum, with a view towards the Temple of Jupiter and Mount Vesuvius

When one tours Pompeii, the park operators give on the option of an audio tour, which I took for simplicity’s sake. It was great, mostly because it would switch from perky British matter-of-fact narration, to dramatic music and a deep voice saying “VESUVIUS” whenever they talked about the eruption. They also really enjoyed quoting Pliny the Younger with over-wrought flair. For example:

Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night. My uncle (Pliny the Elder, as it turns out) tried to allay the fears of his companions by repeatedly declaring that these were nothing but bonfires left by the peasants in their terror, or else empty houses on fire in the districts they had abandoned.

See? And a fun time was had by all...

The buildings can be very much still intact, such as this villa:


Here I am, enjoying an interesting temple:


Here is a far, far more unfortunate inhabitant of Pompeii:
(Actually, it is a plaster cast of the holes in the ashes that were formed when the buried inhabitants died and decomposed ... fun)


The city was beautiful in the rain:


Art historically speaking, Pompeii is also kick-ass.
Here are some very important frescos depicting part of a Bacchic rite, found in the so-called "Villa of Mysteries". It was very shiny.

After leaving Pompeii, I had an evening to spend in Napoli as I awaited my train. I found the city to be very overwhelming, with crowded streets teaming with life. It was also a bit dirty, to be honest, and I'm not sure it's my favorite place, although being there for only 3 hours perhaps I should give the city the benefit of the doubt.

The streets of the oldest part of town are narrow and busy!


I went to see the Cathedral, which sports a 4th century Baptistery!


The baptistery is decorated with Mosaics ... which can't be 4th century ... can they?!?

Now ... on to Florence!!