Pompeii

Everybody has heard about the volcanic eruption in 79 AD which destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Vesuvius has erupted 12 times since then, most recently in 1944. It has in effect sealed in a time capsule the life of ancient Rome in Pompeii. To see the actual site with Vesuvius brooding in the background makes real the things we only read about in books or saw in movies.

The site is much larger than we anticipated with an entire city laid out before us. We saw domestic dwellings, shopping centres, theatres, amphitheatres, barracks for the gladiators, temples and the forerunner of the modern day speed hump. True, the streets were made well below the level of the footpath and were often awash with water and waste. Large stepping stones were installed across the roads at regular intervals so people could cross without getting wet They were always set in groups of three so the chariot wheels could track through the gaps, but only if the driver slowed and went through carefully.

There were casts of Pompeiians who were caught in the last moments of their lives, a chilling thing to see as their postures cry out pain and anguish. After almost two millenia there is still visible colour in the mosaics and frescoes. There are also examples of ancient graffiti left on walls, so that does not appear to be just a modern problem.

We went to Pompeii as early as possible and we're very glad we did. The circumvesuviana was not so crowded we couldn't get a seat, the on-board buskers played a croaky version of When the Saints Come Marching In and best of all we beat the heat and the tour groups. Both are a nightmare and after about 11 am neither can be avoided. Unfortunately the Suburban Baths with their famous erotic mosaics was not open to the public so we could not take any pictures for you. But from the excellent illustrations of them in our guide book ancient Rome certainly was, er, broadminded.

The rest of the day was spent cooling off with gelatis and lounging around in the pool at the hotel. Not a bad day really. We said our farewells to Sorrento with a lovely dinner at Tasso's Ristorante which we can highly recommend should you be lucky enough to visit there.

Click here for pictures of Pompeii.