An Ancient Volcano Tale

Again, our trip to Pompeii started with a hitch! After a long day of travelling, we were keen to put our bags down and rest our weary limbs. However, after arriving at our hostel, we discovered a sign on the gate saying it was closed for cleaning until 3pm! (It was about 1pm at the time) So we wandered around searching for an information office or someone who may be able to help us find our way to Amalfi the next day. But alas, our search was in vain as it seemed we had arrived on the day of another town celebration and everything was closed in preparation. After walking for what seemed like miles, we wandered back to our hostel to discover a sign that we didn't notice the first time....the hostel was closed for renovations!!!

By that time, we were so utterly pooped that we would have stayed almost anywhere, but luckily we found a nice little place near the train station for just a little over our budget! That night, the town centre was full of little children dressed up in all sorts of costumes throwing confetti and spraying silly spray everywhere! We have since discovered that confetti is very popular over here and they throw it for all sorts of occasions! I cant believe they haven't banned it though (with all those cobblestones it must be hell to clean up)!

a whole town of houses, shops, bakeries, law courts, markets, temples, sports grounds, theatres and even a few brothels complete with erotic drawings

The next morning, we set off to explore the ruins of the old town of Pompeii which was covered in a layer of volcanic ash from Mt Versuvias in 79AD perfectly preserving the town for thousands of years. Straight away, we were struck by the massive size and scope of the ruins! Expecting just a few old temples, I was just astounded to find that the ruins consist of a whole town of houses, shops, bakeries, law courts, markets, temples, sports grounds, theatres and even a few brothels complete with erotic drawings on the walls and graffiti about various diseases! It was bizarre to think that you were walking through a town almost as it would have been  2000 years ago! There were even 2 preserved bodies in states of shock which had been created by pouring clay in to crevices created by the ashes to create a clear picture of the speed at which the volcano devastated the city.

It truly was an amazing place, full of history and stories. We spent a good 6 hours just exploring the town and there were still many streets and sites left unexplored. The place was just that massive.