Pompeii Archaeological Site

Mom and I had a flight in the late morning. We left Dubrovnik and headed to Naples. A bus went directly to Pompeii, near the main entrance of the archaeological site.

We wanted to find our hotel and drop off our bags before we ventured into the archaeological site. Our hotel was near the back entrance of the site and it took it just over half an hour to walk there and find it. Hot, tired, and cranky we finally reached the hotel.

The hotel was tucked behind the main road down a path. We felt happy and lucky to find the hotel. The hotel checked us in quickly and went up to our room. Mom and I changed into less sweaty clothes and went across the road to the back entrance of the Pompeii Archaeological Site.

We grabbed a map from the entrance and started our adventure near an amphitheatre. It was still in good shape.

We also were able to see where some modern intervention had taken place. These gardens were replanted and will one day grow into fruit-bearing trees.

The Pompeii Archaeological Site is a maze of houses that are in various states of disrepair. Many of the walls have some level of decoration left on them. Many of the colours are still wonderfully vivid and the details of the art remain.

Mom, who has a very poor sense of direction, would wander the streets of Pompeii and stay lost for a long time. Using a map, we wandered the many streets trying to find houses that had moulds of remains in them.

Walking along the streets we were able to overhear a few of the tour guides talking. They talked about how the phallus was a symbol of the city and there were areas where you could find shrines and carvings.

What we found were more buildings that served as public spaces, like churches. They had painted walls, like the other buildings but they also had carved walls and reliefs. There were some with mosaic or raised floors.

Near the other side of the site was a large Forum. Around the Forum are the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Jupiter, as well as the public baths.

At this time we were wondering if there were any moulds of remains in Pompeii at all. We began to head north. There is one updated building north of the Forum. It has modern bathroom facilities and a small cafe. We bought water and looked at the map.

We found that there was a small storage area just north of where we were. The storage area is home to a few moulds; however, most of the moulds and artifacts were moved to the National Museum in Naples.

We continued to wander the northern sections of Pompeii for a while. When we became tired we began heading south to explore new areas. In the southern sections of Pompeii, there was a large theatre.

Also, there was a street full of tombs and memorials in the southern area.

Mom and I wandered around until the site closed and then headed back to the hotel. There we made plans for dinner and to travel to Mt. Vesuvius the next day.