Posted June 11, 200817 yr Pompeii is huge (66 hectares/approx. 163 acres total, of which approximately 45 hectares have been excavated). We only spent about a half-day there so we did not see every highlight. Although I didn't go, my friends travelled to Herculaneum after we left Pompeii. Herculaneum is the "next city over" that was also devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. In contrast to Pompeii, Herculaneum was covered in lava rather than ash, actually better-preserving the city and providing for new growth years later. Here are the pics I took, although some may seem relatively boring :) Ancient "speed bumps" for chariots! This is entering into the ruins. this is the Basilica which was basically a courthouse and business and negotiations center Temple of Jupiter Same temple (again, Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Yikes!) well-preserved mosaic in the entrance to a home a garden erotic frescoes in the brothels (no comments from the peanut gallery! :) ) and....low-relief sculptures on the streets, pointing the way to the brothels (literally). Can you tell what it is? plaster casts of bodies found in the Stabian Baths This is a small theatre, used for poetry readings and the like. It was covered at the time of the eruption. A snack bar! This is a <i>thermopolia</i> which served hot food and drinks. Jars containing the food would be placed in the pits. Garden of the Fugitives, which houses several of the plaster casts of bodies found during excavation. a 20,000 seat ampitheatre, used for gladiator battles The "outside" of Pompeii And Rome... <i>Via Veneto</i> at night Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini Trevi Fountain (of La Dolce Vita fame). Isn't it beautful? The Pantheon, "temple of the gods". Sorry, no pics of the dome, don't know what I was thinking! I happened to be in St. Peter's on a day when the Pope was naming cardinals or something. Piazza Navona (it was actually much more crowded than it looks. There are million-Euro+ apartments in this piazza, as well as terrific tartufo dessert (basically, chocolate heaven)! Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona (under construction at the time) Triton Fountain at night. I like this one for some reason. Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
June 11, 200817 yr Wonderful! I am totally envious of your vacation to Italy. The pictures bring back pleasant memories of many years ago when I was a student. Pompeii looks fantastic and not a bit boring. Rome is so beautiful, the people so gracious and the food delicious. When I was there last, they told me to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain so that I would one day return to Rome, and being a block headed teenager, thought it was a stupid. Now, decades later I could kick myself for not giving in to the superstition. Thanks for sharing your great photos.
June 11, 200817 yr Rome is so beautiful, the people so gracious ...... Those men have more arms and hands. They don't know that "No." means "NO!"
June 11, 200817 yr I made sure I threw a coin in the fountain (didn't want to take any chances, being a lil superstitous :) ). I know what you mean, though, about the nostalgic effect the pics have. The friend I travelled with gets insanely jealous when anyone else talks about an upcoming trip to Italy, and he's been there 5 or more times. A funny story from Pompeii: walking to the amphitheatre we passed two Italian workers. As I passed I heard one of them reference "melanzane" or eggplants...gee, I wonder what they were referencing! I had learned a little Italian so I turned back to give them my best "I know-exactly-what-you-said" look and we kept walking. Certainly they weren't talking about my friend, who is a tall, lanky male :)
June 11, 200817 yr and many times food AND sex!!! One does get hungry, and you can't smoke anymore afterwards!!!
June 11, 200817 yr Back to the photos... They were great! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 11, 200817 yr "The perfect lover is one who turns into a pizza at 4:00 AM." - Charles Pierce (sorry, I had to! now back to our regularly scheduled programming)
June 11, 200817 yr great pics! You saw a lot more than we did. We were in Rome in early May. and no, you cannot see Rome in a day-I saw about 1/10 the of what people recommended (among them Wonderbar-thanks!). I took a pic inside the dome, but it did not turn out. Pomeii looks amazing
June 11, 200817 yr I really like photo #1. So, Pompei was buried in 79 AD. Everything in that photo must be at least that old, and maybe older. I see a building face, a sidewalk, a curb, and a street. This is old technology, and it has barely changed. The proportions are similar to a street in most traditional towns in Ohio. The sidewalk is graded to drain water away from the building face toward the gutter, and the street pavement is crowned to also drain water toward the gutter. The curb keeps wheeled vehicles from encroaching onto the sidewalk. The "speedbumps," or stepping stones, do two things. One, they force wheeled vehicles to slow down. Horses would pass between the stones, and the carriage wheels would also pass between the stones. The stepping stones function as a sort of bridge to carry pedestrians from one sidewalk to another without stepping in horse manure. Early American cities, especially east coast cities but including Cincinnati, actually had stepping stones like this. Automobiles don't have the ground clearance nor the agility to pass between the stones; however, they remain in the form of painted lines on the pavement. Sometimes there are crosswalks of brick pavers instead of asphalt. The overall proportions match natural and human dimensions. The street is wide enough for two horse carriages to pass, and the sidewalk is wide enough for two humans to pass. Pompei is interesting for the plaster figures and the frescos, but in my opinion, the streets are what make it fantastic. Streets are the heart and soul of cities.
June 11, 200817 yr The only recommended "major" attractions I didn't get to see in Rome were the Coliseum and the Forum (my friend was more upset about it than I was) but in the end, our cab on the way to the airport took us past them anyway! So technically, I did see them. We also checked out the Bones Church or Chapel of Cappuccini monks which is right across from the hotel on Via Veneto. The monks give their bones to the church and they make these large (maybe 6' x 6' ?) "dioramas" out of their bones.... Cameras weren't allowed in the church so I took a pic of the postcard:
June 11, 200817 yr I really like photo #1. So, Pompei was buried in 79 AD. Everything in that photo must be at least that old, and maybe older. I see a building face, a sidewalk, a curb, and a street. This is old technology, and it has barely changed. The proportions are similar to a street in most traditional towns in Ohio. The sidewalk is graded to drain water away from the building face toward the gutter, and the street pavement is crowned to also drain water toward the gutter. The curb keeps wheeled vehicles from encroaching onto the sidewalk. The "speedbumps," or stepping stones, do two things. One, they force wheeled vehicles to slow down. Horses would pass between the stones, and the carriage wheels would also pass between the stones. The stepping stones function as a sort of bridge to carry pedestrians from one sidewalk to another without stepping in horse manure. Early American cities, especially east coast cities but including Cincinnati, actually had stepping stones like this. Automobiles don't have the ground clearance nor the agility to pass between the stones; however, they remain in the form of painted lines on the pavement. Sometimes there are crosswalks of brick pavers instead of asphalt. The overall proportions match natural and human dimensions. The street is wide enough for two horse carriages to pass, and the sidewalk is wide enough for two humans to pass. Pompei is interesting for the plaster figures and the frescos, but in my opinion, the streets are what make it fantastic. Streets are the heart and soul of cities. You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed! Very interesting information, too! The information I have on Pompeii's history is not much is known, but that the oldest reports date from the end of the 7th and first half of the 6th century BC. It received a strong push towrd urbanization in the 5th century BC, entered Roman political organization in 90-89 BC, was "downgraded" to a colony in 80 BC but was enhanced with private and public buildings. There was a violent earthquake in 62AD and was still under re-construction when Vesuvius erupted.
June 11, 200817 yr Thanks for the great photos! I am anxious for my return (I threw a coin in the fountain last time haha)!
June 11, 200817 yr Great pics. Brings back memories when I was there 10 years ago. Pompeii was definitely interesting and eerie at the same time. I also threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. Although I did make it back to Italy, I did not make it back to Rome. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
June 11, 200817 yr Did you check out the catacombs? we did tour the Vatican and St. Peter's but didn't go underneath St. Peter's. I wasn't all that interested in St. Peter's for some reason (except to see the Pieta), and the Vatican was nice in its own way (considering that there's so much gold in various places in the Vatican, that if you removed it, youd actually have enough money to stop world hunger)...plus it was a long tour and I was anxious to get to the Sistine Chapel, which is the final destination of the tour. I did get some nice pics in the Vatican (even one in the Sistine Chapel where they monitor like hawks :evil: )
June 11, 200817 yr ...... the Vatican was nice in its own way (considering that there's so much gold in various places in the Vatican, that if you removed it, youd actually have enough money to stop world hunger)... Ms. ThereseG, you're a hoot!
June 11, 200817 yr lol, thanks :)..but I can't take credit for that comment; I really heard it somewhere! Here're a couple examples: and the blue in this one is lapis lazuli...
June 11, 200817 yr well..you can't do your best Sarah Jessica Parker-as-Carrie Bradshaw-on-the-balcony-in-Paris imitation from ANY location in Crocker Park (like you can from the Westin in Rome)!!! a lil blurry, but across the street from "Crocker Park" :) :
June 12, 200817 yr very nice, i love rome. never made it to pompeii. so, you did the fountain coin toss, but i am curious did you dare to stick your hand in the mouth of truth?
June 13, 200817 yr very nice, i love rome. never made it to pompeii. so, you did the fountain coin toss, but i am curious did you dare to stick your hand in the mouth of truth? no, but perhaps I should have kissed or rubbed the feet of St. Peter as these folks were waiting in line to do! Did you?
June 15, 200817 yr So my tiny Wisconsin mind thought they were all wearing Cheeseheads for a split second: But what's with the yellow/orange (what we call gold in WI) hats?
June 15, 200817 yr So my tiny Wisconsin mind thought they were all wearing Cheeseheads for a split second: But what's with the yellow/orange (what we call gold in WI) hats? I never really got a straight answer but I think it either had to do with "papa's" bday (which was that week) or the cardinal thing. I think the sign reads: "80 candles: something something light our way" or "...lights of something on our road" (this was 2007).
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