Pompei -City of the Dead



Mount Vesuvius, still standing awesome in the clouds overlooking the surrounding area of Naples and what was once the city of Pompei. The story of the Pompeii came to me when i was still ni my grade school (primary school) when I went to the movies with my buddies to watch "The Last days of Pompei", a black and white movie. Cannot remember who made it but it stuck in my mind as a child.

 

This fruit and beverage stall close tot eh entrance to the Pompei site is named Lucia and it reminded me of my adopted daughter in Dubai, Steve Macholz"s wife, little Kiara's Mom. What a lovely person, warm hearted and down to earth.





I was with a group of tourists led by a guide who is in his late sixties maybe and goes by the name of Mr. Salvatore, (a second Salvatore i have met in Italy); a man who takes his job as a guide with great dedication and pride I could tell.





What fascinated as with most of these site i had visited especially those having to do with ancient ruins was the fact that the roads old as they were and the walls worn out as they were were once stepped upon and touched by thousands if not millions throughout history and i have just come to be the next number in line.. Sometimes when being watched i would touch my cheek against these walls or columns and rub my fingers along grooves in the tiles just to feel a part of the past. History speaks through my sensation as much as my sight and feelings.





According to Mr. Salvatore, these were stepping stones used to cross the road in the old days. The roads were original and if you look close enough you can see the two chariot of cart tracks etched into the cobbled stones. Imagine as Mr. Salvatore explained, that this whole area to the top of the walls were once covered with ashes and had to be dug into to restore this whole city complex.





Pompei ; "The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.



Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year.[1]



Somewhere hidden among the rainclouds in the far distance is Mount Vesuvius, still very much alive!



The large number of well-preserved frescoes provide information on everyday life and have been a major advance in art history of the ancient world, with the innovation of the Pompeian Styles (First/Second/Third Style). Some aspects of the culture were distinctly erotic, including phallic worship. A large collection of erotic votive objects and frescoes were found at Pompeii. Many were removed and kept until recently in a secret collection at the University of Naples.





Yes, at last i have walked through the streets of Pompei, City of the Dead that I Once saw in the form of a movie when i was growing up in Penang, Maalaysia some fifty years ago.



How incredible the amount of time spent to construct theses designs using small pieces of  colored tiles some of which is still visible for us to see. here Art survives, the identity of those perished in the cataclysmic tragedy is preserved forever through the works of their artisans.



Etched in the cobbled stones is one half of the pair of wheels that must have used this road time and again in the past, and the rubber thread marks of the modern day vehicle in the mud helps to juxtapose this space and time in history.





Who wants a Pizza?! This must have been a roadside coffee shop in the old days where local bread is baked in these ovens. Mr. S.





Thank you Sir for your kind and informative tour of this city, You are indeed a gentle man and a scholar and has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Ciao Bel lo!!



Carpe Diem!!