We’re now staying near Sorrento and today visited Pompeii: 20 minutes on the train.
The scale of Pompeii was far greater than we expected, as was the state of preservation, all due to being covered by 6 metres of volcanic ash. The culprit was Mt. Vesuvius, shown in the background and me in the forum. Doesn’t look very threatening, does it? (The volcano, not me!)
The town was laid out on a grid system and what you see here is the main shopping street, complete with traffic calming measures! These big stones were actually stepping stones for pedestrians to cross the street in wet weather leaving gaps sufficient for cartwheels to pass.
This is an example of a shop selling food. The food was stored in jars sunk into the counter top and could, if necessary, be kept warm by heating the jar from underneath. Fast food Pompeii style. We weren’t able to determine where the Clarks shoes agency was.
The houses & gardens of the wealthy were lavishly decorated. These are some examples of the murals.
Can't decide if this guy is having a sly fag or picking his nose.
Building Methods. What looked to be solid stone usually wasn’t. They built most structures in brick, or a mixture of brick and stone, and then faced that over with mortar and/ or plaster. The decaying wall photo shows how these layers are built up.
Entertainment: the Coliseum. This is the oldest one known, and you can see its’ interior scale with reference to the two modern-day posers.
The exterior of the building should be even more awe-inspiring, but actually looks like a disused victorian railway viaduct.
Finale: an atmospheric temple, jazzed up a bit by the photo-programme.
In summary, Pompeii was a most impressive place.
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