A Visit to the City Buried by a Volcano
The 2,000-years dead residents of Pompeii seem surprisingly like us. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
The first time I go to Pompeii, the journey is work: a missed train from Salerno to Pompei, followed by a train that surely must be the local rather than anything direct, followed by an arrival at a train station a healthy distance from the ruins. It is hot. I am alone, walking, walking, walking, being stopped by passers-by in cars who apparently have never seen an American woman in her twenties walking alone on the road from the train station to Pompeii. What I remember most are the hassle, the dust, the faintly visible art on the walls of the ruins, and chariot tracks in the streets.
A chariot track in the streets of Pompeii. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
The second time I go to Pompeii, the journey is easier: a bus will transport us from Naples to the ruins, then back to Rome. I learn as I am hanging out just outside the gates to the entrance that today there is a closer train station. The city outside the ancient one is much more modern now, full of stores for tourists, lemonade stands, coffee bars, cafes.
Grab a lemonade outside the entrance to Pompeii. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
Inside the gates, I am again impressed by those chariot tracks. A little Pompeii is enough for me. This time, I am impressed by the spa with its heated floors, and steam room. How could this society have been living so well so early in time? How could this city, buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., have so many amenities that we have today? It had sidewalks, marble street reflectors to make walking at night easier, fast-food vendors, welcome mats, of sorts, on doorsteps.
A bath in Pompeii. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
Whether a visitor takes the long way to Pompeii or enjoys a much easier ride, the journey is worthwhile. Exploring the past in doses large or small is easy here, and intriguing, and enlightening. They were like us. Until they weren’t.
—Lori Tripoli
Danger in the distance? A visit to Pompeii, which was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
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Considering a trip to the ancient ruins at Pompeii? You might like these posts:
- An Italian Itinerary
- What Happens in Italy Stays in Italy
- Standing in the Tracks of Chariots and on the Paths of Heroes
- The Mystery of Volcanoes, The Lure of Hot Lava
- Getting Going
