Rome (Part 3)

On Sunday, August 2nd, we got up early and took a taxi to the  meeting place for our day trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. The palazzo where we waited for the tour group was one of my favorites of the whole city...

I mean, seriously. Two gorgeous churches flanking this street. Amazing.

We loaded up on massive buses and I had the rather extreme misfortune of being on the very last row of the bus which meant I was in for a very bumpy 3 hour ride to Pompeii. Motion sickness threatened a bit but we stopped at a coffee shop in the middle of the drive and were able to walk around and that seemed to help some.

Pompeii was everything I had expected it to be. It was a beautiful sunny day and our tour guide was not bad. As always, the downside was the heat which made the walking and such feel a bit like torture. Visiting Pompeii was important to me. After Mt. Vesuvius erupted in the first century (A.D.) much of the city was perfectly preserved. This is incredible, particularly for people like me who have made a career of studying and teaching history.

The courtyard of a Roman home (most likely upper class).

Original tile work in the home.

Original wall colors!

Body found preserved after eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Raised stones. These were used throughout the city as "crosswalks" to avoid the trash/water/sewage that would have been running down the roads. Clever.

What I was especially interested in was the preserved brothel--- this location played a prominent role in my graduate thesis work and actually walking through the building was quite a check off of my bucket list.

The entrance to the (almost) fully restored brothel. This is the absolute best evidence historians have for first century Roman brothels.

After Pompeii we loaded back on the buses and headed to a lunch place for pizza in Naples. It was good, though I can't swear to its authenticity.

I hate Pepsi. This, however, was not just Pepsi. It was the best Pepsi I have ever had in my entire life. It was life-changing Pepsi. Possibly because it was so hot and we were so dehydrated and the Pepsi was cold cold cold. But, regardless.
Life. Changing.

The hardest part of the entire week (except for maybe my run through the airport to catch my flight to Rome) came when we arrived at Mt. Vesuvius. We were there in the mid-afternoon, the hottest part of the day. We started the hike up and it was like walking uphill through beach sand. The sand was incredibly deep and every step was a struggle. I am completely sincere when I say I thought I might literally die on that mountainside. We all felt sick and miserable. I'm glad I am able to say that I have been to Mt. Vesuvius...but I don't think I would ever actually go back and try that hike again. No thank you.

On Mt. Vesuvius. Looking out over the city of  Naples.

One of my favorite moments of the week came during the long drive back to Rome. Most of the bus was asleep but I was sitting by a random stranger and couldn't sleep (though my seat did have an extra air vent that kept me quite cool for the entire drive. Woohoo.) About an hour into the return drive we crossed over the Via Appia, or Appian Way. This road was extensive and built in about the 3rd or 4th century B.C. It was a military and trade route and of extreme importance to the Roman Republic. I crossed over the Appian Way. It was a monumental moment for me.

After we arrived back in Rome we were exhausted. We grabbed a quick dinner and then took a taxi back to our hotel.