Naples, Pompeii Day Two- Saturday, February 6th 2010
Today we woke up early- around 7:30, to go to the ruins in Pompeii. We got free breakfast- of course, I was the first one their to start eating, and the last one to finish. And all they had was bread and butter or jam, and cereal and juice- I guess I just eat a lot. We walked to the train station and boarded a sub to Pompeii- which took about 2 hours.
“Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under 20 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.”
Walking through Pompeii was quite an experience. Walking through any roman city is an experience in itself, as with walking through most of Europe, but Pompeii is an exception- because it was so well preserved for so many years you able to learn so much about ancient Rome, the way the cities were built and organized, and it isn’t taken over with modern architecture and tourists like Florence is. All in all, Pompeii was enormous- for heavens sake it was an entire city that is now preserved because of a volcanic eruption. It is cool to see what life was like in ancient Roman times- as an architect, you learn a lot about city layout- everything from the forums and amphitheaters we saw, to the roman grid and the gardens and homes of the Roman people. This isn’t something you can research online or read in a book.
After Pompeii we headed back to the train station because most of the group was leaving today. I was originally the only one staying another night, but Bryce decided to pey 15 euros to stay another night- which turned out to be a very good idea. After we had pizza at the train station and most of the group left, Bryce and I headed to the bay of Naples to take pictures and go in the castle that we didn’t get to get into on the first night (it closes at 7). The castle is called “Castle dell’Ovo”- and it was very cool. The castle was built and fortified in the mid 5th century AD, so it was very surprising to see how good of condition it was. The castle was equipped with cannons and lookout towers. The view from the top was very cool as well.
My favorite part of the night, perhaps the whole trip, was dinner. We went to a restaurant just down the street from our hostel. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, but it was by far the best meal I had in my entire life. I’m not kidding, it was that good. We were greeted by 3 waiters and seated with a warm welcome. Immediately they brought out some house wine- which is normal in most of Italy. The wine was amazing, to say the least. We asked for some pizza for an appetizer and the waiter said “No, No, I give you something much better, much cheaper. If you don’t like, I eat.” This was the common expression of the night “If you don’t like, I eat.” Immediately they brought out a soft garlic bread appetizer, cover with parmesan, garlic, and tomato chunks, it was like nothing I’ve ever had before. I was satisfied and I hadn’t even ordered any food yet. That’s Naples for you. Bryce ordered lasagna and I ordered spaghetti with meat sauce. Within five minutes they had our food ready- which I don’t need to describe, because I already said it was the best meal I’ve ever had. Then the waiter came out with a chocolate cake desert- filled with whipped cream and covered with rich, chocolate syrup. The waiters were extremely nice- they talked to us about America and Naples, studying in Europe, and the culture. It was a good experience- and a meal ill never forget. It was cheap like he promised, and I think ill be full for two weeks. Mount Vesuvius tomorrow!
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