Frozen In Time: Pompeii Day Trip

Already time for another day trip? You betcha! Today I hit Naples and Pompeii (mostly Pompeii), which was an amazing experience. There I was, standing in the middle of a place I'd been taught about for years in school, just a few miles away from active Mount Vesuvius. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it did not disappoint.

FYI, I highly recommend going in the morning. I caught a 9 o'clock train out of Rome and then the Circumvesuviana train to Pompei Scavi (Scavi means ruins, apparently, and the regular Pompei stop lets you off in a sketchy neighborhood). I had my ticket in hand and was ready to go by 11am. Lucky for me, I had my Rick Steve's book on Italy, which included a self-guided tour of Pompeii (and really every major city). It was a great tour, gives lots of good, interesting information (but not too much), and made it easy to go at my own pace and make my own stops. I successfully toured Pompeii on my own time - and saved a heck of a lot of money in the process. It's not hard to get there and self-navigate. Honestly, I recommend skipping organized tours and day trips. It was super easy. And there are fountains throughout the site you can refill your water bottle on! Plus a cafeteria in the middle so you can fuel up for the rest of your expedition!

It is truly amazing what is still preserved when you see how much was destroyed. You can see statues, mosaics, frescoes, grooves worn into the streets from chariots, decorated columns...it's insane. And with Vesuvius looming in the background, you can imagine what it looked like as a mountain before it blew - and the eery experience of imagining what it was like when it erupted. Check it out:

Right? It's creepy. There were some casts of people out on display, too. Even more creepy. They're still frozen in their final moments of terror...you can see their bones on the hands and feet, and even the skull and teeth on a few of them. It's surreal. Apparently, they noticed cavities in the ash when excavating, and the bodies had been compressed and then decomposed, leaving people-shaped holes in the rock. *shudder* They poorer plaster into small holes to create casts of the people. Weird.

I saw the Forum, baths, dining rooms, a brothel, temples, fountains, piping and aqueduct system components, fast food joints (I'm serious), ovens, the sea port... Overall, it was just an amazing experience. I highly recommend it - just be prepared for lots of walking and picture taking! I was leaving around 2:30 or so and as I came back out the front there were hoards of tour groups beginning their journey - with the sun nice and high. GO EARLY. SO WORTH IT.

Naples, however, was the exact opposite of Pompeii (deserted and open). It is extremely crowded and busy, and crossing the street is even more of a feat than in New York City. Both motorists and drivers find red lights to be mere suggestions, and police are constantly trying to keep everyone in check. To be honest, I mostly just wanted pizza, and I was very tired. And, honestly, I felt like I had to be constantly on my guard with my purse (more than normal). It was just tiring being there. I did wall around some, enough to take in the intense Italian atmosphere (I hear it just gets more and more "Italian" the further south you go) and get a feel for the middle of the city. It does have a church and a royal palace, but it was on the other side of the city from the train station. I wasn't sure how long I'd stay in ol' Napoli, as Pompeii was my main goal, so I went ahead and cut my stop down to walking around for about 30 minutes, pizza, and heading back. (This also puts me going back home in Rome MUCH earlier than anticipated, which is a plus.)

Now. The pizza. Oh, the pizza. I ate at L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, a famous pizzeria in the heart of the city where the food started. It is quite small, and I was seated with two other customers there by themselves to save space. There are only two choices - margherita or marinara. Apparently pizza is down to an art form at this place. That and a Coke from a glass bottle made for a nice "Napoli" pizza experience. Needless to say, it was absolutely and positively delicious. And cheap. My favorite combination.

Before......

And after.......

After grabbing a postcard, I decided to head out early from Naples. I probably would have enjoyed walking around, but I've now been traveling for over 3 weeks and I still have to finish up Rome. Gotta choose my battles, save my strength. I'm not gonna lie, I'm running out of steam. But only 3 more tourist days!!! I can do this!

Until tomorrow, I'll leave you with the view from the train ride back to Rome: