Pompeii, Italy

Oh, the magic of Pompeii!

This is tied with the Sistine Chapel 

as being my favorite experience from the trip.

The people of Pompeii

were quite surprised in 79AD

when what they thought was a mountain suddenly erupted.

As we know, Mount Vesuvius was actually a volcano

and when it erupted for 2 days straight it

covered the entire city of Pompeii with ash;

suffocating, burying, and preserving the city and its people.

It wasn't until the accidental discovery of Pompeii in a 1749 excavation

that insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire was uncovered.

Touring Pompeii was not only informational, it was fun!

Our tour guide, Marco, was by far the best of the whole trip

{not just because he was super handsome, but it sure didn't hurt}.

Instead of just delivering information,

he invited us to be a part of his story.

This was the only city where the students

were pushing and shoving to get closer to the tour guide and the ruins.

As a teacher, especially one that teaches ancient civilizations, this warmed my heart.

Gladiator Quarters

Our {oh, so handsome!} tour guide, Marco,
in Pompeii's theater

Street of Pompeii

The local tavern -- each hole held alcohol.
Marco chose Alex to be the bartender in his story,
he got his beer from Egypt.

Marco telling his story



Hm, there seems to be a lot of pictures of Marco.
Here, he is sitting on a water fountain.
The Romans would kiss the lips of the face to drink water.



Ancient road block --
this allowed for pedestrian only forums and courtyards.

Inside the Forum --
Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Walking a street in Pompeii

Walking another street in Pompeii

Marco made me his sister in his story.
We went shopping at night together, but I tended to be clumsy.
{Just so you know, my heart was fluttering and my hand was sweating!}

With me being Marco's clumsy sister,
it is a good thing the sidewalk had reflectors
as we shopped the night away.

Our whole group in the Pompeii Forum

Al and me in the Pompeii Forum
with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

Marco captivating our group
with his stories

Cast of a body that was discovered in the 1749 excavation.

Pregnant woman covering her face

Marco thought this was most likely a slave
who was unable to run during the fall of the ash.

Poor dog suffocating from the ash

Back in the Forum

After touring the city of Pompeii,
we visited a cameo workshop.
I had no idea {#1} that cameos were made from carved shell or
 {#2} that Pompeii was a leader in cameo production.
I think about every girl in our group got a cameo necklace, including myself!

At the entrance to the preserve ruins in Pompeii.