Pompeii
After two glorious nights, we checked out of our hotel in Sorrento and headed over to Pompeii to meet up with the rest of the class that came down to the Amalfi. Pompeii was packed with people, but it was amazing. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Pompeii is so incredible because you can really get a sense of how life must have been in 79 AD. I was really impressed with how similar the city is arranged to modern cities. For example, roads and gutters, sidewalks, bollards to prevent vehicular traffic (chariots), mixed use residential commerical areas, etc. In fact, you can clearly see the wheel ruts in the streets. Must have been bumpy!
Road in Pompeii
Civic court in Pompeii
The first place we visited was the house of the Fawn. This was one of the largest residences in Pompeii, and boasts two peristyle courtyards. Beautiful mosaics adorn the floors. Fortunately, later in the trip, Sarah and I went to the archaeology museum in Naples and saw all of the original mosaics from Pompeii and other sites.
Bronze Fawn statue in the entry court gave the home it's name. The original is in the Archaeology Museum in Napels.
Stunning mosaics on the floors
View from entry hall to first peristyle court. The bedrooms and other rooms are arranged off to the sides.
This room collected rainwater from the roofs and deposited it into the cistern basin below. They had a rather ingenious system of releasing the first flush of rain, then switching a valve to collect the rest of the precious rainfall into the subterranean cistern.
Second peristyle courtyard and mosaic.
This would have been a restaurant. It's amazing to me that the terra cotta urns are still in perfect shape.
These beautiful fountains adorned atriums in some of the homes.
The detail everywhere is amazing. This statue is holding up the ceiling beam in a bath house.
I'm sure it's not a mistake that this arch is framing Vesuvius.
Detailed frescoes on the ceilings
Another mosaic niche
'Skylights' in the bath house
Although it is amazing to have this entire city preserved, it seems that the ghosts of Pompeii are everywhere reminding you of the horror wreaked upon this town by Vesuvius. We certainly don't learn from our past...the area at the base of Vesuvius is still densly populated.
Road in Pompeii
Civic court in Pompeii
The first place we visited was the house of the Fawn. This was one of the largest residences in Pompeii, and boasts two peristyle courtyards. Beautiful mosaics adorn the floors. Fortunately, later in the trip, Sarah and I went to the archaeology museum in Naples and saw all of the original mosaics from Pompeii and other sites.
Bronze Fawn statue in the entry court gave the home it's name. The original is in the Archaeology Museum in Napels.
Stunning mosaics on the floors
View from entry hall to first peristyle court. The bedrooms and other rooms are arranged off to the sides.
This room collected rainwater from the roofs and deposited it into the cistern basin below. They had a rather ingenious system of releasing the first flush of rain, then switching a valve to collect the rest of the precious rainfall into the subterranean cistern.
Second peristyle courtyard and mosaic.
This would have been a restaurant. It's amazing to me that the terra cotta urns are still in perfect shape.
These beautiful fountains adorned atriums in some of the homes.
The detail everywhere is amazing. This statue is holding up the ceiling beam in a bath house.
I'm sure it's not a mistake that this arch is framing Vesuvius.
Detailed frescoes on the ceilings
Another mosaic niche
'Skylights' in the bath house
Although it is amazing to have this entire city preserved, it seems that the ghosts of Pompeii are everywhere reminding you of the horror wreaked upon this town by Vesuvius. We certainly don't learn from our past...the area at the base of Vesuvius is still densly populated.
posted by Kim True | 1:40 AM
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