Cheesy grinner that often wears jumpers that match the sky!!!
Cheesy grinner that often wears jumpers that match the sky!!!
Member since:19.02.2004
Reviews:7
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The disaster of August 24 AD79 when Vesuvuis erupted and destroyed both Pompeii and Herculaneum has fasciniated me since the age of 4. So much so that I even did my degree on the place.
I backpacked across Italy in 2002 and Pompeii was the first stop on my list. The first thing to note that if you arrive by train from Naples is to realise that there are 2 stops for Pompeii. The scavi or the excvations and other being the new town of Pompeii. Be sure that you get off at the right one.
The new town of Pompeii (not the excavations) is nohing special compared to other Italian towns, there are lots of dogs roaming the streets and think twice about driving, all cars are battered to glory! The main church of the town is spectatucular and the town really comes alive at night. Just sit and watch people..young and old as they promenade up and down the main street. Italians ooze style and chic! This region of Italy, called Campania
is well known for on street food, food is so easy to find. Remember pizza came from Naples. Try as much food as possible, we also discovered that the food vendors were good sources of information and are really really cheerful. As with anywhere in Italy though I would advise anyone to learn at least a little Italian, its helped me tremendously and made the whole trip much more enjoyable. The Italians are not English speakers in the way the French and Germans are.
At Pompeii we stayed at the youth hostel. A beautiful and very clean new hostel in the town centre. Be aware though, book a couple of days in advance to get a room, and be certain the hostel has understood when you will arrive otherwise they will give your bed away if you do not arrive before 3pm.
The excavation site of the destroyed town is a short walk from the town. You can buy a ticket that will give you entry to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Boscoreale, Oplontis and Stabiae. The excavations at Pompeii are huge, 25, 000 people lived in this Roman town!! I spent 2 full days here so be prepared for a lot of walking, wear good shoes. This region of Italy is also very hot in summer, take plenty of water, a picnic and hats etc, otherwise your experience will be ruined. Fortunately for me my knowledge of the site is scarily embedded in my brain but for those that are new to the Roman world there are some very good tour guides that pick out the main points of the town. But to get the best expereince that allows you to wander on your own and explore I would advise anyone to read up before you go, there are some beautifully illustrated books on the market. It really does make a difference when you understand what you are looking at.
If you see nothing else at Pompeii visit the Ampitheatre, the theatres, the forum, Via dell' Abbondanza, via delle Tombe and the bath houses and the brothel!! Pompeii really is one of the greatest archaological sites on the planet, all in the shadow of the volcano, making a beautiful landscape.
The casts of the bodies of actual civilains that died in AD79 are also eerrily preserved where they fell!
For anyone that wants all the essence of Pompeii but at a smaller site and less time consuming visit Herculaneum, just a stop down on the train. Herculaneum was detroyed primarily by a land slide when Pompeii was destroyed and is beautiful and often quieter than Pompeii. It has a charm all of its own, many prefer Herculaneum to Pompeii, the advantage here is that the upper floors of buildings were preserved, unlike at Pompeii.
At both of these sites many of the artefacts, paintings, sculpture was ripped out and put in Naples museum, well worth a visit.
Hop on the train to Naples, it's not far from Pompeii and visit the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Naples is a bit daunting after Pompeii, but don't be put off buy the many lanes of traffic in front of the station but if you do cross here, be prepared to run fast!
The museum houese artefacts from many eras, but the main interest if for artefacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum and the surrounding area. Here you will find furniture, mosaics, painting , jewellry etc that once adorned the people and houses of the destroyed towns.
The museum also houses the Farnese collection. If you want to see big calssical sculpture then this is the place. Standing and only reaching Hercules knee is a very intimidating expereince. It would make even the tallest person feel short!
An absolute must to see is the 'Secret Cabinet' collection. Timed tours only. However if you have children or are a little prude you may wish to skip this gallery. But for the kinky amoungst us its great. This is a collection of artefacts that were discovered at the excavations and in Victorian times were locked away only to be seen by a select few because they were deemed too rude to be seen! This basically is a collection of 'Roman porn' but it is also worth remembering that it is history and reveals alot about Roman society too. But you'll have a good giggle, but be warned boys...some of us may feel a little more than inadequate after seeing what some of these gods kept in their pants !!!
When we visited the museum many of the galleries were closed, but it is worth asking because often they reopen the museum in the evening and all the galleries. This was we saw it all. It takes a long time, so plan your time well for this musuem.
I hope this helps, if you have any interest in ancient history/archaeology then you really will get something special from this part of the world. I certainly did.
Pictures of Naples & Pompei (Italy)
Ampitheatre - Pompeii
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Feb 19th, 2004
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