Buried Alive!May 5, 2009
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Sorrento coastline
Our campground beach
Street in Sorrento
| 5/5/09 Equipped with our newly made reservation for a campground in Sorrento, we headed off, again on the small street to avoid the toll roads (with the exception of a small stretch around Naples). This makes for quite stressful driving in Italy, because with all the roundabouts and routes through small town, the driver and navigator have to constantly be vigilant to stay on the right road. At least this time, we had a reservation, because it took us most of the day (almost ten hours) to drive from Pisa to Sorrento. Sorrento is in a stunning setting on a high cliff, with more of those spectacular Italian villas and townhouses teetering on top. However, the roads are tiny, the tour buses numerous, and the motorcyclists, suicidal, so the last hour was quite tiresome. We decided to take the campsite owners’ advice and board the train to our next destination: Pompeii. To get the closest look at ancient Roman life, arguably the best place to go is Pompeii. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD79, it buried the Roman city of Pompeii in ash, perfectly preserving it. The larger buildings, including temples, theaters, and even a gladiator school, are quite cool, but the most interesting aspects are the smaller details. Elaborate watercolor frescos and intricately constructed mosaics adorn the homes. Long streets full of “fast food” shops and other types of stores (as advertised with signs advertising cattle markets and wine or olives in jugs) are also available to explore. I particularly wondered about the male genitalia in one bizarre sign. But the highlight are casts of actual Romans, snuffed out by the ash. With some kind of plaster technology, scientists were able to recreate the bodies of several victims, including a dog, out of clay. The twisted shapes of these poor people as they died are a sad reminder of the power of nature. |
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