Exploring the Amalfi Coast – Mt Vesuvius and Pompeii

 A 4x4 truck for Mt Vesuvius excursions

Any lover of Italy must experience the Amalfi coast once in a lifetime, and for me, September was the time. 

Setting out with my intrepid fellow-travelers, we arrived in Naples and caught a taxi for the ferry to Sorrento. Our short time was well-planned so that we could see the major sites with the minimum of hotel changes.  First full day was devoted to a tour up to Mt Vesuvius and to Pompeii.

We were fortunate to have clear sunny weather for Mt Vesuvius. The 4x4 truck, required because the roadbed was so rough and bumpy, dropped us off at a stop about a 30 min hike below the rim of the volcano, and we trudged up a well-worn path to experience the breath-taking views over the Bay of Naples.  A guide at the top pointed out the items of geologic interest, such as the vents in the crater that belched gases and steam. 

Steam vents in the crater of Mt Vesuvius

 From that height, Naples looked dangerously close, and it was easy to see how the massive volcanic eruption of 79AD could have buried it.  In fact, if f I were a resident of Naples today, I would not feel at ease.

Naples from Mt Vesuvius

 

The afternoon was filled with a tour of Pompeii, and I remembered enough on the tour of Herculaneum three years ago (described in this blog) to mentally compare. 

Pompeii, first views

For example, Pompeii was a working town of commerce, with shops, small factories, tradesmen, and merchants.  The streets still show the grooves of the wagons passing through with loads of goods to transport.

Pompeii streets with stepping stones and wagon wheel grooves

However, I remembered that Herculaneum was described as the resort town for the wealthy citizens from Rome, which the lack of grooved streets indicated and the abundance of villas attested to, such as Julius Caesar’s father-in-law’s villa, a replica of which was built as part of the J Paul Getty Museum in Malibu California.

Another thing I learned about Pompeii was that it had been a port city, and now because of soil erosion and silt buildup, is about 7 km distant from the sea.

Remnants of the port of Pompeii

 Wandering through the many streets, many with stepping stones for pedestrians to cross, yet wide enough for wagon wheels, I realized that this had been an enormous city. Taking photos of beautiful theater and forum, the double-peaked profile of Vesuvius loomed in the distance.

Theatres, baths, bakeries, workshops, townhouses, the forum, all stark evidence of the vibrant life here almost 2000 years ago.  The guides loved showing us the ‘fast-food’ shops where huge terracotta amphorae were filled with stews kept warm for the working people eating on the run.  One of the warehouses on display was filled with amphorae jars for transporting wine, olive oil, garum (fish sauce) and cereals all over the Roman Empire. 

 

Poor dog! Tied up and left to die...

One display case held some of the famous plaster casts of the victims of Vesuvius, including a dog tied to a post, caught and unable to escape the disaster. Stark reminders of how tenuous is life in the shadow of a volcano.