While on our weekend trip to Naples, Matt and I also stopped in the ancient ruins of Pompeii. In case you aren't familiar with the story behind these ruins our friends at wikipedia have offered to fill everyone in:
Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for over 1,500 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1599. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year. Thanks Wiki!
In all seriousness, it was a very sobering trip. To see the almost perfectly preserved ruins of a city smothered by ash was very melancholy. Although thousands of years stood between us, my heart could not help but ache for these people and the terror they must have felt. I highly recommend making the trip to go out and see it- especially if you love ancient Rome.
Tanti Baci,
Lauren
PS: Matt and I also did travel to another Roman city that was a victim of Mount Vesuvius called Herculaneum. Sadly my camera battery died mid way through Pompeii so I was unable to share pictures to you. Nevertheless, I also highly recommend it!
