Despite a large number of tour groups in Pompeii yesterday it was still possible to find quiet side roads to wander down and marvel at the completeness of the ruins. Cart-rutted streets are lined with brick-built houses, some with courtyards, gardens, frescoes and mosaic floors.
When we were confronted with the plaster casts of people who met their death in Pompeii, I was reminded that this was not just a town where one day people just decided to pack their bags and leave, but this is where a disaster occurred, and these were ordinary people who, for one reason or another, failed to escape (it seems that most inhabitants did manage to get away).
This is an uncomfortable thought and I wonder, if some disaster were to occur in my home town, how I would feel, if 2,000 years hence, people walked around pointing out features, “This was a house lived in by two people called Anne and Mark. We know from remains Anne was right-handed and dyed her hair. This was where they showered every day.” To me, it feels intrusive.
Gloomy thoughts aside, we will return to Pompeii while we are still in Naples, as our tickets allow us a second visit and we possibly won’t be back in this neck of the woods anytime soon. We plan to do more research first and decide what else we particularly want to see.
Tortoise Travel 