Day 10 - Pompeii

Nothing quite like breakfast on the terrace overlooking Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples

Hotel Torre Barbara, Vico Equense

To the scavi we go ...  (Vesuvius buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79)

View from the entrance ...

First temple we come across

Many tours, big hoards...

The Forum of Pompeii beneath Vesuvius

Temple of Jupiter

Amphoras, wagon, victim ....

Teenagers on a tour take a time out

Wheel ruts in Pompeii streets - a lot of use to create these!

House of Caecilius Iucundus - the main character in a high school Latin textbook studied this year!

Caecilius' home

Caecilius' home

Caecilius' street

We think this might have been a bakery

There are many streets in Pompeii

One third of Pompeii is not yet excavated

Public Bath

Public Bath under-structure - designed to heat the room

Plaster casts made from the voids left by the victims in the fallen volcanic debris are incredibly haunting

Exercise grounds in the bath complex

The Theatre

A bar

Fresco

Amphitheatre of Pompeii - the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre and first to be built in stone, 70 BC - 5,000+ watched gladiator games here

Were these for posts?  Entrance/exit of amphitheatre

Stepping stones in Pompeii streets so citizens could avoid street muck

Final view as we leave ... a long, hot but wonderful experience

Local restaurant had a Caecilius statue replica for Euros 5,000 - we had seen the original in the British Museum exhibit!

Back to our hotel ... sun went away but setting still beautiful ....

Only place internet worked ....

The swank lobby ...

Dinner on the terrace ...

Fresh local food, tasted so good .....

The lovely Raphaella brought us a special treat - zucchini from the garden slathered in the best olive oil I have ever tasted!

Most delicious desserts ...