Sunrise over Sorrento
Before too long we were on our way to Pompeii Scavi on the Circumvesuviana train. Once we'd negotiated the "tourist traps" (stalls selling guide books and snacks at ridiculously inflated prices) that line the route from the train station to the entrance and bypassed the hordes of guides offering tours, we were onto the site and were observing the preserved time capsule of an ancient culture. I won't bore you with the details of the archaeological masterpiece of Pompeii....you can read all about it here.
All the guide books advise you to "not attempt to see the whole of Pompeii" in one day...so naturally, that's exactly what we tried to do! The highlights of the day for me were:
1. The beautiful floor mosaics and wall frescos in the baths, houses and temples...
Mosaics and frescos from Pompeii and Herculaneum*
2. The amphitheatre - standing in the centre and imagining being a gladiator, soon to face an opponent....or an early Christian, about to get devoured by a rather large puddy tat....
Amphitheatre
3. The plaster casts of the preserved bodies...yes, just a tad morbid but fascinating all the same.
Seated man
4. The temples....
Temple of Apollo
5. Thermopolia (the McDonalds of the time) - marble counters inlaid with terraccota pots that would have been filled with hot food.
The biggest crowd-puller was the lupanarium (brothel), complete with its risque frescos....bit overhyped, I thought.
All in, an exhausting but fascinating day.
* Visited later in the week
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