Day44 Pompeii

How to write up today? 

I guess it's a strange mixture of amazement and disappointment! 

With what should be expected a certain degree of repetition.....

I need to justify all three aspects I think. 

I'll do it in reverse tho just to make the blog flow...

Repetition:-

That's quite simple really, the vast majority of Pompeii is ruined domestic properties so one will always look much like the other. 

Disappointment:-

The enduring feeling really is that in its restoration and preservation the heart of Pompeii ie it's people and their effects have been stripped away leaving the whole considerably less! 

Yes the artifacts should be kept in safe environments but leaving Pompeii with next to no personal items on site takes away any connection to the people who died here, to me history should be felt and seen beyond the few calcified(?) remains of people hereand the ruts worn into the heavy stone paved roadways,but these are nearly all that remain.

The amazing:-

This part is easy, there are plenty of buildings to go wow at!

Starting from Porta Marina near the train station you ascend a steep cobbled road through an arch onto the higher ground Pompeii is built on and to your right are the ruins of the Roman Basilica unlike modern basilica this was a place of trade and debateWhat's left implies an impressive place, what you see all through Pompeii does leave you wondering where the rest of the rubble from the cataclysm ended up? Presumably in new buildings in the surrounding towns..... Nope no lesson has been leant from building on land under a volcano.... Tomorrow blog should show that! 

My route next took me past the gymnasium for youths,naturally you can't go in to this, the mosaic is rather special and the artwork on the walls is close to the best I saw.

Continuing along past brickwork I found interestingAnd one of the drinking troughs that are scattered around Pompeiii reach the Teatro Grande grand theater being a very exact title! Thousands could sit and watch whatever was on show!at the entrance to the theater was one of the few examples of direct connection to the inhabitants of the town...... Graffiti!!no mention of Kilroy being there! 

Next is the Teatro Piccolo aka the odeon! Smaller but equally impressive in its restoration , music and poetry was performed hereentrance stage left is visible through the arch! 

Doubling back on myself through more domestic ruins I pass a tavern with murals topping the facadeoff the road and through a house with laid out garden with water featurei reach the Anfiteatro the amphitheater! Massive and impressiveso much so that Pink Floyd performed here in this bowl! with entry or exit through the tunnels at either end, and a tunnel running around the ring of the arena ..... Now full of Pink Floyd memories, posters etc.... Sort of curious to make such a big thing of a relatively modern event!

Next the Palestra Grande..... The biggest gymnasium in Pompeii at 141x 107mtrs wide it still lives up to its nameand I guess conveniently sited next door is the Necropolis! 

Tho more likely to have held dignitaries than over zealous gymnasts!generations of the same families were laid to rest in these sepulchre likely after cremation.

Through further domestic sites I pass the sanctuary of Apollo into the Terme Stabiane another gymnasium!

This one made into a garden? 

But it has connected it's own baths and hypercaust(underfloor heating!)

with a rather impressively ornate arched entrance to the gym!

with black clouds building and flowing down from Vesuvius I head back through the main forum of Pompei 

hopefully I've made it clear that yes Pompei is definitely an amazing place to visit! 

It's largely my association with metal detecting and finding small personal items lost over the millennia that leaves me with less of an acceptance of what Pompei has become.

Catching a train back to the hostel with a stop at my favourite Italian restaurant to pick up the most unusual pizza! 

Fisherman's pizza ....

Took a bit of work eating it! 

But very nice!

And I'm asleep for another night at this lovely hostel!