L'avventura di Maria DeGrazia (Noi siamo Lucani!): Day 22: The road to Pompeii

We had to backtrack through Amalfi back to Salerno and this time we were on the cliff side of the road. We nearly got mowed down by a truck, and traffic was slowed a few times (once by a man with two donkeys). Even on the highway, it was interesting… we were 3^rd in line for the toll booth when the guy in front starts backing up, requiring us to back up… so that he could get in the other lane because he was too impatient to wait for the guy who was at the booth. (However, we found this trick handy on our way back to Rome when we had to force other people to let us backup because we were in the "fasttrack" card lane… no one can say that John hasn't learned driving skills from the Italians)

Ok, back to Pompeii. I had been there once before in October and was only able to do a short tour because of the number of tourists and mostly because it was Hot AND very difficult walking. But today was perfect weather wise. We accidentally arrived at the gate on the side I hadn't seen, and hired a guide to take us on a 2 ½ hour tour , and this time we saw everything of importance. Pompeii is a really interesting place… so primitive and yet so advanced.

There were a few homes with bathrooms and indoor running water (hand pumps?) and ovens… but most of the people didn't have these; so there were communal baths, toilets and "fast food" restaurants (with big thermos-like urns to hold food to be served 'cafeteria style.). They designed the city in grids, and made the roads so that they went downhill, allowing drainage but also good flow of water through aquaducts. Public bathrooms had pipes which led to a trench system along the side of the roads… and in case this wasn't enough, they had sidewalks and stepping stones so that people could easily walk down or across the street. They even measured the stepping stones to be the correct distance and height so that the wheels of chariots could drive over them. (We saw hard stones warn and rutted from chariot wheels... must have had a lot of traffic). Being a Roman city, water was supplied from the aquaducts and there were public fountains throughout the town. There were public laundries with a series of large tubs where clothing was washed (from urine to bleach and clean in the first vat... camel urine worked best (good to know)... then to the other rinses and the final rinse water.).

I'm sure you have all heard about the street signs directing the incoming sailors and merchants to hospitable women. (carved penises pointing in the direction of the houses of ill repute). There is actually a "menu" of numbered menu items in the brothel but I won't go into this because this is supposed to be a family blog.

This time I actually saw the Roman ampitheater… the first ever built… smaller than the colesseum in Rome, of course, but still, it was the "first". We saw street signs (frescos) advertising events at the ampitheather paid for by politicians who were trying to get elected. I had also forgotten the forum which was smaller than Rome's and only of "fake" marble columns… but still impressive. Pompeii may have been a trading port, and somewhat working class, but it was very advanced. The great disaster happened in 79AD.

It was a great day at Pompeii and our tour guide told us we picked the best time to see it… and Amalfi. Normally it takes 4 hours to drive from one to the other… but it took us about an hour and a half at most.

After Pompeii, we headed for Caserta for the night… We stayed near the Bourbon palace with plans to see it the next day… but then decided it wasn't what we wanted to do. We weren't that impressed with Caserta, but it was probably my mis-selection of the hotel (although the personnel were exceptionally nice there). No worries…the weather has been clear and beautiful. We definitely took a chance coming in January, but it has been great.

Maria

First stop was the necropolis. Romans were cremated and then put into little niches. The guides name was Antonio but because he had gone to school for a while in the UK, he spoke English with a British accent. Maggs said he looked and sounded like Ringo and so that's what she called him!