Italy Part Four - Pompeii - Sorrento

I wake well rested and excited for the day. After two medium boiled eggs and three mini muffins, we hoist our bags onto our backs and head for the train station. My entire family enters through, except for me. My mother used my ticket, and I am trapped on the other side. Thankfully, my father is able to pull some strings and get me through with the help of security.

The train travels at a whopping one hundred and eighty-six miles per hour, taking us across the country to Naples in just under an hour. The view during the ride is stunningly beautiful, with tall mountain tops that have white buildings built into the side, while at the base sit multiple round and rectangular cream colored buildings of varying heights with pink roof tiles. These buildings appear surrounded by the tall stone sides of the mountain, giving off the distinct appearance of white mushroom soup in a bowl made of rocky green slopes.

Continuing on, we pass by grassy plains with unique and interesting structures spread out through the countryside. Seen with multiple floors painted various shades of sunset, supporting gabled red tiled roofs. These houses feel more sophisticated than their American equivalent, surrounded by various crops and farm animals grazing and living happily. There is no worry in Italy about whether the animals are humanely kept. The proof surrounds us everywhere.

When we exit the train, we are loaded onto a van to take us to Pompeii. Landing in the ruined city, we meet our tour guide, Roberta, who will guide us through ancient times. At the low point in the city, we can’t see much except for the ruined buildings around us. But in the distance, we see the great Mount Vesuvius, the magnificent beast that destroyed both Pompeii and Herculaneum by coating them in a thick layer of ash.

Pompeii was first built in 900 B.C. as a Greek city, though like much of Italy, the Romans came for conquest in 300 B.C., causing the city of Pompeii to become an “associate” after three wars lost between 298 - 290 B.C. This allowed the Romans to make a sort of agreement with the citizens of the city. They were allowed to change the names of their pagan gods and enforce stricter laws within. However, when Alexander the Great headed east, many of these laws became more relaxed as the ancient Greeks were known for their liberal mindset.

With their liberal views in mind, it should come as no surprise that Greeks hold a high regard for the arts. This deceptively large city holds one large and one small theater. In the tunnels to view the theater, graffiti from before the eruption is carved into the walls. We see an anchor, a horse, and a penis. Isn’t it funny how some things never change?

On the corner of every road stood a name plate, similar to our roads today. In Pompeii, many people lived above or behind their shops. Evidence suggests that the majority of shops held large double doors with twelve hinges. Outside the shops were several vase-like bowls encased in stone. Now covered in ash and dirt, these vases were once hollow and filled with water, used to store fish until they were eaten. On the edge of the street, the curbstone was carved with a medium-sized hole that once held a brass ring. These holes were perfectly constructed to tie donkeys to the road while their owners went inside to shop.

Walking through the destroyed streets and shops, we enter upon the House of Menander, named after a Fresco (painting done rapidly on plaster) within depicting the Greek playwright Menander. This house belonged to a relative of Nero’s second wife, Poppaea Sabina, who was born in Pompeii. Immediately upon entering, it becomes apparent that this house is much more extravagant than those we have seen thus far. In the center of the corridor is a huge marble square hole used to collect rainwater. The room held three single bedrooms and a shrine for the gods. Because of the family’s wealth, much of the flooring had mosaic tiles embedded within.

We walk into the family’s personal garden, as well as smaller areas that might have held couches for napping on the north side, where it was cooler. It should come as no surprise that this lavish family also held a dedicated room for prostitutes. Majorly wealthy families did not often visit the cities’ prostitutes, but rather employed private sex workers of their own.

  Within the house, almost every wall had frescoes. Our tour guide, Roberta, was happy to inform us that the walls were painted using a stencil, the Roman equivalent of a paint-by-number. This ensured that each wall could be painted quickly and accurately without needing to hire a Michelangelo to come to your personal residence. We travel through to see their personal spa, library (now empty), and servants’ quarters, which were held outside the stables. While Pompeii did not have any skeletons left from the eruption, we did see the preserved skeletons of Spanish looters who died in an attempt to steal the home’s treasures.

Despite the destruction the volcano may have caused, the nutrient-rich ash was perfect for aspiring plant life, made especially apparent by the beautiful pomegranate tree growing around the back of the home. Before the people returned to the city to excavate the ruins, plants had long since taken over in the prosperous environment.

While the city walls now exist in ruin, during its prime, every wall was coated with layers of marble or plaster, but never both. Now that it’s been burned away, we can see the limestone brick from various time frames of construction, dug free by excavators, uncovering the rich history of the city. Even so, several spots in Pompeii have not been uncovered. Atop these points now sit rest areas for tourists, while underneath lie the ruins of houses undiscovered. Excavators are digging up everything around these areas, with umbrella pine trees acting as a barrier to the city.

Once everything has been discovered, it is more than likely these rest areas will disappear in favor of historical discovery; however, I was more than happy to enjoy the view. Standing atop the ruins, it becomes apparent how large the city actually is, with burnt buildings stretching as far as the eye can see. Above it all, it’s also easier to get a view of the once monstrous beast that destroyed Pompeii, though I’m shocked to see how far away the mountain truly is.

Continuing on, we arrive at the corner where there once stood a pizzeria. We can tell what the building was used for by the two large ovens that are present within, and the remains of delicious paninis. Being a corner shop, it’s easy to imagine business booming within, as right across from the shop was the “rich street” where fashion, clothing, and those with extra money liked to spend their earnings. No restaurants existed beyond the rich street, making this pizzeria your last chance to get a bite to eat before or after enjoying your shopping experience.

Turning from the pizzeria, we stare through the rich street, a wide path specifically designed for expensive tastes and shopping, where “old money” was king. However, instead of walking up rich street, we opt to take a lesser-known side street used for prostitution and sex work. Within Pompeii, it is well known that there was an abundance of slaves. Some slaves were used to work, and others were used as prostitutes, also known as Lupa’s. Children of these slaves held the same status, so there was always a surplus of working hands and hips available.

The red light district, also known as Lupanar, has a large block in the middle of the road every few meters to prevent donkeys and carriages from passing through. On the corner pillar, we see the prices and services of women carved into the stone in a language I cannot read. Though thankfully, our tour guide, Roberta, was able to translate that whoever wrote this particular message only charged two glasses of wine for their services.

I peer into one of the rooms, which consists only of a bed and a small ledge. I suppose not much is needed to perform these acts; still, it looks rather uncomfortable. While this was the main street for sex work, there were others unseen, called cellae meretriciae. These streets were marked with artwork, sexual looking bells, and phallic symbols on the ground to lead in visitors.

Leaving the alley, we enter the end of rich street, where the wealthy loved to dress up, wear jewelry, and purchase expensive luxuries. During its prime, there existed a beautiful spa on this street titled “Health Through Water”, acting as a hot spring and getaway from the busy road. Though it’s important to note that the heat did not come from the volcano, but rather a furnace located in a separate room that directed hot air through the floors and through hollow terra cotta tiles within the walls.

Similar to Rome, all across the city stood various (now dry) fountains. This is because Pompeii had one of the most advanced water systems of the ancient world. The majority of the fountains were made of volcanic stone, just like the roads. However, richer parts of town had fountains made of limestone with bronze faucets.

This water was siphoned into the city from a nearby spring via aqueduct at four thousand gallons per minute. It was then stored in a distribution basin, also known as a castellum divisorium. Once the water was in the basin, it was distributed through an interconnected network of water towers by lead pipe hidden beneath the sidewalks. These towers had two functions: storage for the water, and to regulate the water pressure on the downward sloped city. Once the water entered the tower, it was stored and released at a controlled rate to prevent the pipes from bursting. The water was then directed to fountains, spas, workshops, houses, and the next tower in the interconnected system.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Pompeii-water-distribution-system-14-towers-107-connections-39-public-fountains_fig1_343212508

We exit rich street into the Forum of Pompeii. A large courtyard measuring four hundred and sixty-nine feet long and one hundred and twenty-four feet wide, built for citizens to mingle, shop, and participate in public or religious ceremonies. This Forum was surrounded by colonnade, large columns built to cover nearby areas and impose the importance of the space. This area was truly the life of the city, holding regular debates, justice, public business, and other events. Similar to the red light district, this area was entirely off limits to chariot traffic due to the raised blocks in the road at the entryway.

With our eyes on the clock, we didn’t have a lot of time to walk around the Forum if we still wanted to see the museum, but that doesn’t mean the space was empty. Aside from being a central location in Pompeii, it also held various temples, such as the Temple of Jupiter (Zeus), which dominated the square. A Temple of Apollo, also known as the Sanctuary of Apollo, on the southwestern side. A Temple of Venus (Aphrodite) overlooking the sea, who was the patron of the city. There was also a Basilica, which was used to hold trials and economic transactions, and several honorary arches dedicated to Roman Emperors, along with honorary statues.

We walk down a flight of stairs into the museum and get our first look at the bodies that have been recreated from that horrific day. Though like all living soft tissue, decay is inevitable. So were excavators able to recreate the bodies of the deceased for our viewing?

To truly understand how the city was preserved, we must take a moment to recreate the events of that disastrous day. The year is 79 A.D., and the great Mount Vesuvius has been inactive for centuries. There had been a strong earthquake in 62 A.D., killing nearly a tenth of the city’s twenty thousand-strong population. However, that was over a decade ago, and construction to repair the damage from the catastrophe was nearly complete. There had been a few tremors lately, but they were hardly noticeable, as minor earthquakes can be quite common. The water also began to carry a hint of sulfur taste, but in the endlessly bustling city, no one questions the reason.

The people do not heed what will later be remembered as the first warning signs of danger until it is too late. Shortly after noon, many residents are stopping to rest after a busy morning, when suddenly, the world stops as the city is deafened by a thunderous boom. The ground begins to shake, and the sunny afternoon sky turns completely black as smoke and molten rock fill the air from the mountain top. In a letter to Cornelius Tacitus, Pliny the Younger described the destruction of Pompeii by stating, “Darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room”. Those deep within the city had no escape among the crowds of panicked citizens and were forced to succumb to “the surge”. An avalanche of volcanic debris and noxious gas, rushing towards the city at sixty miles per hour. Many of these citizens collapsed where they stood, killed in an instant before they could even cover their mouths or run for cover.

Those fortunate enough to live on the outer edges of town had to react quickly if they hoped to survive. Though doing so was easier said than done, as they had to think quickly amid the pumice stones (solidified lava) that rained down upon the city as they ran. Historians estimate that about 1.5 million tons of debris were expelled from the mountain per second, and within twenty-four hours, four billion tons of volcanic material would fall over the city. As a citizen, there were three places you could run. You could flee to the west by sea, escape to the south on foot, or rush home to try and wait out the disaster. Many citizens within Pompeii were scared that this was not an isolated event, but rather the Gods causing chaos all over the world, with nowhere to run.

Those rushing to the sea to escape by boat were met with a barrage of ships attempting to reach the city in an effort to rescue the citizens who remained there. Unfortunately, amid the tsunami-like waves caused by the quaking mountain, blackened with volcanic matter and pushing violently against the land, no ships could reach the shore. Those who did survive this route were forced to wade out in small boats and pray that the waves did not overtake them before they could reach a rescuing Roman ship.

Those who opt to flee to the south must climb the southern Latarri mountains. They must act quickly and begin their climb before the second pyroclastic surge rushes across the city, covering the upper levels of Pompeii’s buildings completely and killing all those beneath it. Encasing all those who lie below in a layer of ash and volcanic debris to be discovered by historians in the distant future. The citizens who flee must walk for over fourteen hours, through ash that at times reached as high as their chests, before reaching safety in one of the neighboring cities like Naples or Cumae.

The eruption lasted days, perhaps weeks, and by the end of it, the city of Pompeii was covered in twenty feet of stone and ash, while its neighboring city, Herculaneum, was covered under more than sixty feet of ash. Though the people of Herculaneum were more fortunate, as the wind directed the majority of the first day’s destruction to Pompeii, affording them additional time to escape. However, by the second day, they too met the same fate as their neighboring city. What were once two of the greatest cities of the Roman empire have been buried in rubble and ruin.

Centuries later, Pompeii was accidentally rediscovered in the late 16th century by architect Domenico Fontana. However, excavation work did not begin until 1748, when Spanish king Charles III of Spain sent excavators to uncover the mysteries buried under ash. This, in part, has to do with the king’s wife, Maria Amalia of Saxony from France, whose sister Maria Carolina was fascinated by the ruins. In 1763, an inscription “Rei publicae Pompeianorum” finally gave name to the city in ruin. Because of her extreme interest in Pompeii and her wish to decorate everything she owned with images and artifacts, we now have preserved treasures from the city to give us an idea of what life was like during this time period.

During excavation, the remains of over one thousand victims have been found. Some of the victims who died in their homes left behind only bones; however, those who were outside when the pyroclastic flow hit left behind nothing but a shell in the volcanic ash. So once the shell or bones have been discovered, how did they go about preserving these bodies for study and display?

Thanks to Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli, over a hundred casts have been made thanks to the preservation methods he perfected. When the bodies decomposed, the volcanic matter that had long since cooled remained in shape where the bodies had once been. After a “shape” of body had been discovered, the space was filled with plaster and glue to set and preserve the shape of the bodies before clearing away the volcanic ash.

Using this method, the excavators of Pompeii have discovered the bodies of a young boy and a girl hiding with their grandparents. From the bodies of Pompeii, it was discovered that during this time period, humans were notably smaller than they are today, showcasing that humans have grown substantially in size over our years on Earth. They have also discovered a dog, killed by the toxic gas before encased in ash forever. This proves that not only did humans of the ancient world have pets, but much like today, they were often decorated with fancy collars and cared for like members of the family. Though it was not just the living that could be captured in plaster, excavators were also able to preserve the shapes of food, wood, rotted materials, and other perishable items.

Once the museum tour is completed, I look through the gift shop, buying even more fridge magnets, as well as two books titled “Rome Before Rome” by Philip Matyszak, and “A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii” by authors Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Ben Kane, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Victoria Alvear. While I am glad I purchased a book exploring the foundational myths and legends of ancient Rome, I am most looking forward to the latter, a promising tale in historical fiction.

After the visit, we travel by van to our hotel in Sorrento, which is absolutely stunning. The Hotel La Favorito has beautifully decorated mosaics along every floor and all along the walls. There are various marble statue miniatures scattered around the hotel that are gorgeous to view. However, one thing to note is that it exists in the middle of the tourist town. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it means all restaurants, shops, and attractions are within walking distance; however, if you are looking to see Sorrento as a living town, this may not be the choice for you.

Once our quick rest is done, we head into the city. We don't make it far before our eyes run away from us into various shops and restaurants. It's windy and cold today, so we opt to eat inside where the Italian food is delicious and authentic. We devour a cheese plate faster than my camera can capture, and my fried shrimp and calamari dinner is delicious. Though I dislike that they fried the shrimps whole, shell and all. Live and learn.

Naturally, we get Gelato afterwards, the recurring dessert of Italy. I get vanilla and chocolate orange, though next time I think I will get cream and chocolate orange. Wrapping up the evening, my mind is preoccupied with visions of what once was in the ruins we had explored.