Italy Day 7: Pompeii
Today was our main day in Pompeii. We had a little bit of difficulty with our tickets, we only printed out our confirmation, not the actual tickets (everything was in Italian - oops!). We had to go back to the hotel, log into our email, and get the hotel to print the tickets for us. It was a good thing our hotel was right across from one of the entrances into Pompeii! We started walking around Pompeii at 9am and spent the majority of the day there, leaving in the mid-afternoon. After that, we rested us because our legs were so tired walking on the uneven rock roads in Pompeii.
Erupting!!!
I really loved how the clouds made it look like Mt. Vesuvius was erupting.
Not as Impressive as Rome's
This is the Amphitheater in the ancient city of Pompeii.
Amphitheater
This is the outside of the Pompeian amphitheater.
Hallways
The outer ring of the amphitheater had tunnels for getting around the stadium.
Growing From the Wall
This is the outside of the Pompeian's Amphitheater. I thought it was cool that there was something growing from the wall.
Deteriorating
A lot of the bricks in the ancient city of Pompeii looked like this, deteriorating.
Home Art
The Pompeian's liked art inside their homes.
Water Canals
This water canal was in the upper class part of the Pompeii city. Having water and not needing to use it was a sign of status.
Mt. Vesuvius
Everywhere you were in the ancient city of Pompeii you could see Mt. Vesuvius.
Uneven Wall
This wall is over 2,000 years old, it's impressive it's still standing at all.
In the City
This is Katherine inside the ancient city of Pompeii.
Curved Brick
Short Doors
Several of the doors were short in the ancient city of Pompeii.
Pomegranate Trees
Pomegranates are native to the Pompeii area. This tree was growing in what once was someone's home.
Many Doors
It's weird to be walking through a city where people once carried out their normal lives a little over 2,000 years ago.
Pillar
Bumpy Roads
The roads throughout Pompeii were extremely obnoxious. As you walked you had to be extra careful not to trip or roll your ankle.
Vesuvius Through an Arch
Mt. Vesuvius through the crumbled city of ancient Pompeii.
Tomb
This is the top of a tomb for someone important in ancient Pompeii.
Large Field
This was a commons area for ancient Pompeian's.
Burnt Bread
This was bread that was discovered by archaeologists in the ancient city of Pompeii.
From the Top
Katherine trying to get a picture through the glass without glare. She's learned so much about photography.
Wall Art
One piece of art we saw painted on a wall.
Keys
The ancient Pompeian's knew they needed to be able to protect their valuables. These are some keys that were discovered.
Jars
Field
Mt. Vesuvius from the edge of the known Pompeian city.
Coin Sizes
Even 2,000 years ago people were concerned about counterfeit coins. Ancient Pompeian's would use these holes to verify the size of payment.
Fast Food
Ancient Pompeian's knew the concept of fast food for the businessmen that needed to get food quickly before conducting business on their way in/out of town. This was some kind of fast food restaurant. There were rooms in the back that you could pay to go eat inside a private area if you wanted to.
Column in the Wall
There is a column in this wall. Not sure why, but I saw it and thought it was interesting.
Red Wallpaper
Pots and Pans
Just a few of the pots and pans that were discovered in ancient Pompeii.
Water Tanks
This area looks like a bunch of bathtubs, but it was actually a water storage area.
Through the Ruins
Who knows what this area was to ancient Pompeian's. Homes?Meeting areas? Church? Restaurants?
House of P. Casca Longus
This is the base of a table that was inside the house of P. Casca Longus. Casca Longus was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar.
Blue Walls
Clear Day
The day we were in Pompeii the sky's were blue and it was in the upper 70's. A little hot for us but it could have been much worse.
Thin Brick
Fancy Wall Art
Most of the wall art in Pompeii were flat and 2-dimensional. This one wasn't. It seems to depict a giant giving something to someone. I'm not sure what it means.
Ceiling
Steam Room
This was an Ancient Pompeii steam room. The floor was lifted by blocks so that the steam could move freely and circulate around the room.
Statues
This area was storage for all the items that were discovered. These are just a few statues.
Forum
This was taken in the ancient Pompeii Forum. The brass sculpture of a head on the left side isn't original, but everything else is.
Fragile
Doesn't this look like it's moment away from collapsing? With the cracks in the second level I wouldn't walk under this thing!
Inside a Column
I thought it was cool to see the inside of a column and how they made the smooth cutouts on the outside of the pillars. This shows you the frame work behind the pillars.
Short Columns
IN the Forum there were a lot of pillars, most of them cut short from previous collapses.
Homes Along the Road
Fountain
A fountain inside your home was a status symbol, because you were telling people that you could afford water that you didn't need to use to survive.
Wall Mural
Pompeii
This is a piece of wall art inside a home in ancient Pompeii.
Just a Few Clouds
The afternoon brought in a few clouds, but not enough to relieve the heat.
Hole in the Wall
Those ancient Pompeian's might want to patch that giant hole in the wall.
Small Statue
This was a small statue sitting along a wall in ancient Pompeii.
Bell Tower
From one of the theaters you could see the bell tower that belongs to the current residents of Pompeii outside of the ruins.
Teatro Grande
This is the Teatro Grande (large theater). It is still used today for various things. There are lights built into the stairs and it is in pretty good shape.
