We’ve all heard of the city of Pompeii in our history books. Where a volcano covered an entire village of people, as they screamed and tried to escape the impossible. Archaeologists have been working tirelessly to uncover what remains are left, but is it worth it to travel to as a tourist? Is it just a bunch of rocks and rubble or is it an unforgettable experience?
The Volcano
Mount Vesuvius is the volcano that buried Pompeii and is actually still active. The mountain has not just erupted once, although most of us have only heard of the time it buried Pompeii.
The exact years that Mount Vesuvius erupted are:
- 79 AD- which buried both Pompeii and Herculaneum
- 1631
- Several within the 18th and 19th century, with significant eruptions being in 1779, 1794 and 1872
- 1906
- 1929
- 1944
This Volcano has been active and erupted since 79 AD, yet crazy tourists (like me lol) will still go and visit it! Because how cool is that!? (Until we tour during an eruption of course! Joking.. kinda)
The Entrance:
Personally, I chose to book a tour instead of going on my own. Pompeii is huge and without the deep knowledge, it can be hard to know where to explore and further than that- what I’m actually even looking at. Many of the cites will have signs, but not all of them and there were definitely some hot spots that I would never have learned or seen if going on my own.
Once we arrived, we followed our tour guide through the rows and streets of the old Pompeii. I don’t want to take away from the experience, so I will share briefly some of the spaces we had explored and let your curiosity motivate you to book a tour on your own and to find out more!
Once entered the main city entrance, we were met by ancient rocks and architecture. There were ropes preventing people from stepping on the grass, but plenty to view otherwise. And YES- the weather was remarkable! I think one of the things I truly love about Europe are how old things are and how old they LOOK! It’s like stepping into a different era and it’s something that we really don’t get, here in the US.
The Ampetheatre
There is one of the large theaters that the people of Pompeii had in their city. This theater is still being used today for concerts and operas, and continues to be a source of entertainment. The way the theater was build was meticulously planned and geometrically mapped, allowing for strong acoustics, not to mention the value of sitting in a theater created before 79AD.
Cooking and Other Resourceful Inventions
One thing the tour guide pointed out is the intelligence and resourcefulness of these people. On the left is where they made food over hot coals. The fact it is still preserved is something else entirely! In the middle, are large pebble stones used for when there was a lot of rain, to have a place to walk without getting your feet wet. The water would seep on the lower parts of the road, often allowing for those higher stones to be above water level. On the right is supposedly a pizza oven. Again, we’re talking BEFORE 79 AD!?
The Homes and Other Buildings
This here was actually inside someone’s house. The structure was very different than you and I may be used to- it didn’t have windows with windowpane, but rather simply holes in the walls and the outdoor garden was placed in the middle, in somewhat of a courtyard style. The bed (third from the left, top) was- well… I hope they had a chiropractor.
I assume they had furniture in their day- makeshift tables and such but likely the eruption had destroyed it all. Mostly, what was left was the foundation and walls of the home and small pieces of pottery and other things. In some of the rooms, you can see colored walls. This was their version of wallpaper.
Here are some more of the inside of different buildings that were preserved from Pompeii. Even the ceiling was so intricately done (2nd photo, top). And amazing how they were able to excavate them in the shape they’re in. I wonder, today- if there was a eruption on some of the buildings we had, how well it would be preserved. My guess is not like this…
Preserved Villager
When the eruption came, there was no time to escape and many of the people in Pompeii were encased on the spot. The way people died was dependent on several factors. Primarily, a combination of asphyxiation from ash and volcanic gases as well as pyroclastic flows, which is fast movement of gas, traveling at approximately 450mph with temperatures over 1,500F degrees.
For context on the speed- most commercial airplanes travel at 500-600 mph, so 450 is FAST!
There is some hypothesis that this particular woman was pregnant when she passed due to the slight bulge, but it’s not confirmed and looking at her, I don’t know if I would say it was a pregnancy bump or simply belly fat, but I’m not the archaeologist, sooo…
The Streets of Pompeii and Getting Around
Many of the streets were narrow and (to me) looked all the same. But if you look closely on the photo on the right, you can actually see numbers on the stones, which is largely how people knew were they were going or where they were!
Child Labor and Supporting Families
“Content Warning: This next paragraph contains discussions of sexual topics. Reader discretion is strongly advised.”
Sadly, many of the children in the time were workers to support their family. Now it is sad, then it was the norm. Sometimes as young as 12 or so and they would work in brothels. This is supposedly a brothel, likely with a young child working here given the size of the bed slab.
Exploring the Area/Conclusion
And finally, we had some free time to explore as we wished until we were to head back. We had left Pompeii around 3:45 or so and the site closes at 4pm, so we were able to use the restrooms if we wished, but the museum and gift shop were closing unfortunately.
Other Things to do Nearby (Food)
After we left the gates, we waited a little longer until the bus arrived to drive us back to the port and while we did- IF YOU HAVEN’T HAD CAMPANIA PIZZA- CHANGE THAT! I can’t describe it, it looks yummy- sure. But typical, but boy! The minute I tasted it, it was something else. It’s not something I can describe because I haven’t had anything remotely similar. Tender, cheesy, stretchy, melts-in-your-mouth, flavorful, but whatever you’re thinking as you’re reading those words, multiply it by 10. Not just flavorful- whatever flavorful x10 is. It’s out of this world, truly!
a must-try culinary experience in Campania.
I didn’t try the gelato, but the gelato looks extraordinary as well. Next time for sure, there was actually quite of bit of gelato in Italy and I do regret having some!
Campania, showcasing a variety of flavors from classic
to unique.
Do I Recommend Pompeii?
So I can’t say for sure if YOU would find Pompeii worth it, but I absolutely did and honestly- I have yet to meet someone who felt it was a flop. So go at your own risk… or at your own pleasure 😉
Cheers friends and travelers!
~ Backroad Butterflies ~
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