Pompeii
We left Rome bright and early to take the 8 am fast train down to Naples. The kids loved riding on the fast train and playing with the little tables that went up and down. The train was half full because they were only filling every other seat due to Covid, so there was plenty of space and nice comfy seats. JonPaul and Zoey played Yahtzee, and mom taught Zoey how to play the dot game where you make boxes with the dots to win. Willow and Ronin played together with their stuffed animals. We then got to Naples and went to the Circumvesuviana train, which is more like a New York subway train than the fast train we just got off of. I was nervous about this train because I have heard so much about pickpocketing especially on this line, but so far we have been okay. On the way from Naples to Pompeii it was really crowded and the kids first started standing up and then ended up sitting on the ground for the 35 minute ride. You can see all our luggage piled up behind JonPaul to keep it safe. On the way from Pompeii to Sorrento the train was not as full, but we still did not have enough room to all sit together until the very end. Ronin and Willow were so tired as you can see!
Pompeii was so awesome. As someone who once wanted to be an anthropologist, I am fascinated by extinct civilizations and the day to day life that took place. We used the Rick Steves audioguide to tour the ruins, and although it helped us understand what the buildings were, there were several sites that were currently closed and others that had opened, so we went ‘off-book’ several times. We started at the newly-opened bath houses. There were several rooms—the first was a changing room, then a hot water bath, then a tepid water bath, then a cold water bath, then a sauna. It is amazing how well-preserved some of the colors are, right next to areas that are utterly devastated. We then walked down the main thoroughfare. The giant cobblestones on the street are original, and you can see the deep grooves worn from chariots throughout the ruins. The kids liked walking over the stepping stones—these were to cross the street when they were wet.
Next is the open forum and the basilica. The forum was the main town square and was for pedestrians only. Here is the view of Mount Vesuvius in the background. Pompeii had it rough—they had a severe earthquake in AD 62 and many of the buildings were still being rebuilt when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. The basilica was being rebuilt when it was covered in ash and debris, so the short half-built columns were actually that way when they were buried.
The kids really liked the fast-food joints and the bakery. The restaurants had holes for the pots to be placed over the fires to keep the food warm. Most Pompeii citizens ate at restaurants since few had kitchens in their homes. The kids played restaurant for a while in these serving each other food. The bakery came equipped with a pizza oven, and Willow pretended to make pizzas for everyone.
There were lots of pots, jugs, and pottery that were uncovered and displayed in the granary. But the most mesmerizing was the casts of the people that died in the ash storm. When the volcano erupted, it is thought that of the 20,000 inhabitants of the city, only around 2,000 did not escape. When their bodies decayed they left people-sized hollow spaces encased in volcanic debris, and casts were made of the victims. It was eerie seeing these casts, especially of the child.
There were several examples of beautiful architecture that had been well preserved, which is a feat for almost 2,000 years! Other architecture still had paintings/stucco/frescoes (I’m not sure which) in vibrant reds, browns, whites, and blues.
Just walking through the ruins makes you think about the devastation and destruction of natural disasters and the people whose lives are forever altered. If Pompeii was not covered by the debris and ash from the eruption, it would probably have been lost to time and plunder like many other ancient Roman towns that we don’t even remember.
After a long, hot day in Pompeii, we were all exhausted (see pictures at the top for the kids that can fall asleep anywhere!). We made it into Sorrento around 3:00 pm and got settled into our new place. It is great—two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a pull-out couch in the living room so everyone has plenty of space. It also has two porches outside, one that wraps around two sides! We walked downtown Sorrento and found the cutest alleyways filled with restaurants, shops, and people strolling up and down. It was fun, but definitely crowded!
