Our first stop on the Mediterranean cruise was Sorrento off the Bay of Napoli. We could see Mt. Vesuvius off in the distance. Our excursion took us 1 hr by bus to Ancient Pompeii which was a Greek - then Roman city from the 7th century B.C. up until 79 A.D. In that year Mt Vesuvius errupted and covered the city in ash. The entire civilization was "frozen" in time until it was discovered in 1739. An estimated 10,000 people once lived in this urban community with pagan temples (i.e. Jupiter, Apollo, etc.), shops, homes, and a political "basilica" where they made their laws and judged criminals. They even had a red light district. The city streets and Roman baths were especially well preserved. We saw frescos, pillars, arches, tile inlays on the floor, stone streets,
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