Day 4 Naples, Pompeii and Thunder Storms of Fall


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Europe » Italy » Campania » Naples
November 5th 2008
Published: November 5th 2008
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The Pacific Princess’ Captain decided to dock in Naples instead of anchoring in the
bay outside of Sorrento, Italy due to possibly difficult weather conditions. To visit Sorrento the ship must use its tenders to go ashore, and water conditions were questionable if the offloading could take place. So we docked in downtown Naples instead.

Naples is famous for inventing pizza and for its traffic which rivals that of Rome. It’s the third largest city of Italy with a population in excess of a million. From the size of the container shipping port where we docked, it’s obvious that Naples is a major maritime trading port.

Most of the group opted to visit Pompeii. Several went on a Princess tour which was excellent. Apart from the obligatory visit to a cameo shopping opportunity, the remainder of the tour was eye opening. We ventured through the more than 100 acres of excavated ruins and saw what Mt. Vesuvius could do when it erupts. The city was destroyed by a near atomic explosion of the mountain which covered it and its inhabitants with ash and a pyroclastic mud flow. What has been recovered by the archeologists is amazing. You can walk the stone streets and see wagon wheel ruts worn into the stones of the road. Touch the worn spot on the public water fountain where people placed their hand to hold on while bending over and drink out of the water spigot.


We visited the home of a prominent politician, and we even saw the markets and shops, including their version of McDonalds for fast food. We could see close-up the way these folks lived until 79 AD—when the city was destroyed. The scope of the city was vast with theatres, public squares and all the fixtures of a Roman Empire city at its peak.

Archeologists have uncovered pottery, statues, even the remains of people and dogs. At the time of the volcanic eruption bodies of people and animals were encased in the hot mud from the volcanic eruption. To determine the form of the people archeologist developed a technique of filling the hole decaying objects or bodies had left with a liquid type of plaster that would then dry in the form of the person, animal or object. From that they were able to see the form of what was destroyed almost 2000 years ago. From the plaster you could see that people had been knocked down while running from the falling ash and mud. One person even was sitting with their hands over their mouth (they are sure he was trying to breath and protect himself from the gases). What an amazing site.

To add to the authenticity, we had a taste of the powerful effects of nature as the heavens opened up and we were deluged with a thunderstorm and downpour. Everyone was soaked to the skin as no shelter was anywhere to be found. Fortunately water only gets you wet and we all survived. We did, however, get to witness first had what the guide had told us about the sidewalks being build higher than the road for drainage in rainstorms. Many of the roads became waterfalls for a short time. But, our brave adventurers persevered and finished the tour which lasted about three hours.

Some of our group ventured out to visit Sorrento and others explored the twisting streets of Naples. While it rained, the temperature remained in the low 70s.

Tomorrow we at sea on our way to Alexandria, Egypt. We have our first Bible Study at 10:00 am while at Sea.



Additional photos below
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Pompeii Speed BumpsPompeii Speed Bumps
Pompeii Speed Bumps

Large Rocks to slow down chariots. Note tracks worn in rocks. From 300 BC to 700 AD. Lots of usage
Inner CourtyardInner Courtyard
Inner Courtyard

Posh Pompeii Residence with tile inner portico decorated and used to collect rain water. Cistern underneath.
LIving Room Wall PaintingLIving Room Wall Painting
LIving Room Wall Painting

Fresco painted on Living Room wall from early AD.
Fast Food RestaurantFast Food Restaurant
Fast Food Restaurant

Stall designed for pots of hot food with brick oven for baking. Did they serve Pizza & Pasta?
The TroublemakerThe Troublemaker
The Troublemaker

Not Rich but Mt. Vesuvius in the background where the volcano erupted.


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