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| Pompeii Main road and stepping stones in background |
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| Apollo gracing Pompeii Forum |
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| Main Square of Pompeii |
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| Plaster cast of Victim |
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| Pregnant girl protecting her newborn |
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| Man crouching and covering his face with his scarf |
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| Man dying not from stomach ache, but rain of hot ashes |
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| Wall Painting in Pompeii Public Bath |
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| Wall Frieze in Pompeii Bath |
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| Roman Wash Basin as large as a horse trough |
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| Pompeii Marble Tub and steps |
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| Wall decorations in Pompeii Bath |
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| Living Room of a wealthy citizen |
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| Invitation to a night of pleasure |
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| Pompeii Pizza Oven |
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| City Square in Pompeii |
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| Limoncello Raw Materials, big as soccer balls |
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| Downtown Naples, facade of apartment building |
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| See Naples....and die |
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| This one saw Naples and died... |
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| Adios Vesuvius |
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| Going once, going twice....and still going
21 April 2012 , Naples, Italy
It was to be Sorrento, but it finished up being Naples. The sea had kicked up so much overnight, that the open anchorage at the foot of the cliffs, where Sorrento clings to the mountain, turned anchoring and tendering ashore out of the question. Naples had a vacant dock, somewhere in the commercial part of the port, adjoining the ghetto district of town, and that is where we headed instead. However, some of the original ex Sorrento excursion destinations remained the same, as Naples is merely one mountain away, which separates the good from the bad and ugly. Naples means 'neo polis' in old Latin, New City, which is located in Campania, originally called 'campania felix', Land of Happiness. The famous blue of Naples Bay spreading out into the Thyrrenian Sea was absent today, although rain seems to be holding off and the sun peeked through clouds intermittently. Mount Vesuvius, said to be erupting every 70 years or so, was asleep, although due for another awakening any minute. The last big burp was around 1944, I believe. Ever looming threat of earthquake, toxic gases, lava and ashes do not keep Neapolitans from illegally constructing their houses on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, which sounds like Californians building on fault lines, or Hawaiians building next door to red hot lava flows. Ever hopeful humanity.... In August 79 AD the people of Pompeii and Herculaneum were not quite that fortunate. Vesuvius had been rumbling for a while, the earth had been shaking off and on, some residents of both towns had left for safer ground (even they knew 'the signs' of bad things in the offing) but many others remained. To their misfortune, eternalised under the emissions of Vesuvius' caldera, they succumbed within minutes of the beginning of a disastrous end to poisonous gases (sulphur) and a rain of hot ashes. Within two hours both cities were covered in 60-80 feet (?) of ashes (Pompeii) and lava (Herculaneum). Plaster casts made from skeletal finds and hollowed spaces in lava and ash show the agony and speedy death of some of the victims. 2000 have already been found, more are still in their volcanic grave. Heartbreaking images of a 16 year old pregnant girl protecting her swollen belly, a man covering his mouth from ash and gas with a scarf , a man supine and overcome with poisonous gas, another clutching his belly suffering from a stomach ache. (Plumbing was constructed of imported lead from Britannica, which caused most Romans to suffer from lead poisoning) Both cities were extensive for their times, and Herculaneum functioned as a summer resort to the wealthy of Rome. Pompeii is laid out similar to modern cities, with running water and sewage, public baths (tepidarium calderium and frigorium), paved streets with 'stepping stones' to get across in rainy weather, and 'cat's eyes' in between paving stones to reflect moon and starlight during the night for improved orientation of their citizens. Ruts in the ancient paving stones show where hundreds of chariots travelled up and down these streets. The distance between wheels must have been convenient, as modern trains still use the same gauge for laying rails. Peoples' homes were laid out around pleasant courtyards (atria), with guest rooms, living quarters and kitchens, and a host of pleasure and sleeping quarters. Fountains graced entry halls paved with mosaic floors, depicting chained and teeth-baring dogs with the inscription of 'Beware of Mean Dog'. Walls were painted with various scenes of daily life, and over the years re-painted again with different scenes of life, reflecting the changing decorating styles of the lady of the house. Thus, many homes had layers and layers of paintings on the walls - Martha Stewart of olden times. Apart from forums, which served as universal open discussion, lecturing and debating venues, there were temples, plazas, victory arches, and agoras (shopping centres on the grand scale). Most homes had no street side windows, as Romans were jealous of their privacy. The only building with windows facing the street was the local house of prostitution (there is one in every Roman city), to allow the ladies within to display their charms to the clients outside. The only advertising of the business other than the windows, is a highly visible carving of an erect penis 'con testiculos' placed above one of the upper windows. Allegedly there were more than 30 pleasure rooms inside, each one dedicated to specific versions of the equivalent of a Roman Kama Sutra (sex a la carte) and fees were around 25 cents per session. Unfortunately the famous erotic mosaics of Pompeii were nowhere to be seen, however, dozens of touristy postcards depicting 'classic poses' from the hidden antique illustrations were sold just outside Pompeii City gates. Herculaneum was a smaller settlement than Pompeii, but housed the Roman superrich. As it was covered under a layer of lava, it was perfectly sealed and preserved for posterity to uncover its excessive riches. Unfortunately Herculaneum was 'discovered' be looters before scientists could put a stop to it, and start archaeological unearthing of a more responsible kind. As lava is tougher to remove from buried treasure, not all was lost. Entire streets, lavish mansions, perfect mosaics and wall paintings are unearthed daily and show the sophistication and excesses of decadent Rome in perfect preservation. I only visited Pompeii, large parts of which are still hidden underground, some are now the foundation of the New Pompeii adjoining the archaeological site. The New version does not look quite as luxurious as the old one. Sorrento promised to be a romantic and idyllic visit on the Bay of Naples. Naples proper appeared all but idyllic. Although a city with many historic buildings and monuments, witness to a richer past, it now seems dilapidated and poverty stricken. Dirty and depressing - at least the districts into which I ventured. The second world war fighting dropped several thousand bombs onto the city destroying almost all of it, and replacement buildings are no more than decaying (60+ years later) ruins themselves. I did not reach Spaccanapoli (the Naples Divide) which is said to be the most picturesque and charming quarter of Naples. However, surrounded by so much neglect, poverty and misery it would only be a temporary relief from a sad ugliness that pervades the City. The infamous Neapolitan Pickpockets seemed absent, no one was mugged or robbed. But a few dead rats on our pier made up for the lack of petty thieves. Upon casting off, the sun lit up distant Mount Vesuvius, with it's gentle slopes reaching far into shore side towns and villages, and even into the ever retreating sea. Those villages themselves may be subject to archaeological research, if Vesuvius sends another super heavy load of ash and lava sea-ward. A couple of miles out, Prinsendam performed one more of her SAR (Search and Rescue) attempts. The upturned hull of a sailboat was bobbing around on choppy seas. Shore side communications revealed, that it had been afloat and abandoned since some time (apparently victim to an unfinished regatta), and that a salvage company would come out and sink it (??), to remove the 'hazard to navigation'. From here we headed north to Rome...which I covered out of sequence somewhere else in this 'jump around the Med' blog. Well, sometimes one has to write, whenever the muse nudges and memory is fresh... |
