Our fifth stop on the Italy trip with my mom was Pompeii, the city that vanished under Mount Vesuvius. It sits in southern Italy, near Naples.
Pompeii was a pleasure city full of aristocrats’ villas, and quite advanced. The day we arrived was extremely hot. It was June, but southern Italy was scorching, and you can feel the heat just from the photos.
Pompeii was crowded. I thought only Koreans cut in line, but foreigners did exactly the same, which made me think people are the same everywhere.
Pompeii’s carriageways and sidewalks still show wheel ruts perfectly preserved.
Following the road, we reached Pompeii’s brothel, the Lupanar. This had the longest line!
They say it was a city decaying with pleasure and indulgence back then. Maybe that’s why it was punished? There were a great many entertainment venues, and aristocrats came here for holidays.
Inside, each room has paintings showing its specialty, so aristocrats must have picked the room they wanted after looking at the frescoes.
The beds were very narrow and small, which must have felt cramped. Next, Pompeii’s waterworks. The reason crowds gather here is that you can tell how advanced the country was by looking at the water system.
About two-thirds of Pompeii is restored, and restoration is still ongoing. Italy seems to do an excellent job restoring and managing cultural heritage.
The people of Pompeii, frozen in place by the volcano. About 10 percent of the population, more than 2,000 people, perished with the volcano.
The baths of Pompeii.
They say the baths were grand, with opening hours set by the sunlight. There were cold and hot baths, and though I didn’t live in that era, I could feel how huge and magnificent Pompeii was.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in May 2018 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.