October 10, 2011
This morning we were off on a tour I arranged thru AP Tours. This will be a long strenous day but filled with sites I had only dreamed about seeing. We met our driver, Vito, at 8:15AM and we were off.
A short history lesson……..At about 1PM on 24 August AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted violently. By the end of the following day, thousands of people were dead and the flourishing Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum had disappeared beneath tons of ash, pumice and solidified mud.
The excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum, by contrast, offer an intact vision of daily life in a Roman society in all its aspects. They have produced not only many treasures, but also many less precious objects extremely useful for the understanding of everyday life during the years of the Roman empire.
Our first stop will be at Herculaneum where we met Pina, our guide for the day. The rediscovery of Herculaneum was accidental. In 1711 the Prince of Elboeuf, commander of the Austrian fleet, gave orders for a well to be dug in a property of his in the wood of the Frati Alcantarini, which led to the discovery of the ruins of the theater. The systematic excavation of the city began only in 1738 on the orders of King Charles of Bourbon.
Next it is on to Pompeii…..The first signs of the buried city came to light between 1594 and 1600 but the investigation was not continued. Then in 1748, proper excavations were started under the king of Naples, Charles of Bourbon and they have continued ever since.
We were very fortunate to be able to view the House of Menander which is not normally open to tour.
We walked thru the Lupanar (Brothel). It contained ten cubicles with built-in beds. over the doors of the cubicles are small panels of erotic scenes.
We walked up the street to the Forum Square
Forum Square with Mount Vesuvius in the background…..
Last house we visited was the House of the Fawn…
It really is amazing to think we have spent the day looking at remnants of a civilization over 2000 years old. It truly was a awe inspiring day!!
After a very nice lunch, we returned to Naples and reboarded the Ruby.
Back on board, we went up to Skywalkers for a little refreshment and to watch the sun set on Mount Vesuvius.
Thankfully, tomorrow is a sea day. We are all pretty tired and looking forward to doing nothing!!!!
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