Discovering the Past

Today we ventured in the direction of Pompeii, continuing on to the site of Herculaneum, a town that we covered in 4 meters of mud when Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.

Today we see an entire town just as it was over 2,000 years ago. There are houses, baths, restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses. We were amazed that much of the original wood is still intact, as are beautiful mosaic floors.

As so often happens, successive civilizations built right over top of the city covered with mud, so that today the town of Ercolano towers over the excavated ruins.

We then took the train to Torre Annunciata to visit Oplontis, a villa which was the home of the wife of Nero. It suffered a similar fate in 79 A.D. and is still in the process of being excavated today. Oplontis is evidence of a lavish life-style, which included a 61-meter swimming pool and beautifully frescoed walls. The many amphorae discovered in the excavation are remarkably well preserved.

All this looking at ruins has piqued my interest in visiting the national museum in Naples, which houses many of the artifacts uncovered during these excavations.