POMPEI & VESUVIO

Together, the live volcano and the extensive remains of the Roman city, form one of the greatest sights of southern Italy!

VESUVIO: 

The unmistakable bulk of mt. Vesuvio, looms inland to the east of Naples. It has erupted several times over the years, overwhelming the settlements on its lower slopes - most recently in 1944. You can see the remains of the lava trail on one of the pics in my album on fb.

You can walk up the steep, broad track to the crater's rim and look in, but the best views are behind you: on a clear day you see for miles! I was lucky to be there on a sunny and clear day :)

The city constantly works on updating the evacuation plan in case Vesuvio erupts, although, the illegal residential construction on the very bottom of the hill is messing up the plan.  In order to save everybody in case of emergency, the citizens would have to all walk and not drive out of the city. 

POMPEI: 

Pompei is remarkable for the story of its destruction and preservation, and also for the details of everyday life which it has revealed over the course of 250 yrs of excavation. 

You can walk along the streets and look into the houses and shops, exploring the details of murals, bath houses, and interesting art on the walls.  

Life ended in Pompei in AD 79, when Vesuvio erupted in a cloud of poisonous volcanic gas, followed by a blanket of ash.  Many citizens died where they stood. One can see decomposed bodies left in the layers of ash (most with raising their arms against onslaught).  A very sad yet remarkable site. 

The site of Pompei is huge, and if you'd like to see everything with an audio tour, you should plan to be here all day.  Porta Marina is the place where you enter the city and via dell'Abbondanza is the main street.... and here are the highlights:  Foro is the main square, Terme - public baths, Porta di Sarno, Anfiteatro (amphitheater), Villa dei Misteri (famous paintings!). 

Enjoy the pics on flickr and facebook!