Pompeii



Sorrento was the perfect base to see the many sights in this region. Today however was to be our eagerly awaited visit to Pompei. This ancient Roman city epitomised the self indulgent lifestyle of the day. Materials were relatively simple but they built lavish homes and courtyards and certainly knew how to have a good time.

We enjoyed wandering the steets of this ancient city of Pompeii. It is amazing how much work they have done to uncover the ancient Roman city.

The amphitheatre and colliseum were both very impressive and were the perfect place to entertain or sacrifice your loved ones. Nothing like going out for some popcorn and watching the christians being fed to the lions. Ok. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch however they certainly had some interesting forms of entertainment.

Well like all good parties things have to come to an end. Just because the local mountain was smoking a little, their was no cause for concern. Just another wild party on the mount. However, as history tells us Mt Vesuvius was more than just a smokin' hill, it was in fact the full monty of volcanic eruptions and when it erupted on 24 August AD 79, it spewed out massive amounts of lapilli(burning fragments of pumice stone) which buryed the city and all its inhabitants.

We spent many hours exploring this ancient model of a working Roman city. The macarbes scenes of creepy body casts from some of those who perished gave us an insight into the terrible last few hours in this city. We all found it really interesting and enjoyed the day. We then explored a bit more of modern Pompei with its many stalls before returning to base.