Currents and Color: Pompeii

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Pompeii

Our first port on the cruise was Naples. My maternal great-grandmother was born in Naples and had immigrated to America as a young adult. I believe she was the last of our relatives to have been born overseas. Because of that family connection, I wanted to make sure we got to see the city. The first part of the day was spent visiting Pompeii. Unfortunately, my father was a bit under the weather that day. He stayed behind on the boat to rest while we had a girls day out.

Early morning rainbow over Naples.

Jenny enjoying the view of Mount Vesuvius.

The Suburban Baths.

After a short cab ride we found ourselves at the ancient city of Pompeii. Destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, the city remained largely untouched until excavations began in the late 1700’s.

Mount Vesuvius still looming over Pompeii.

An intricate mosaic floor, still in its original location.

The view of the Bay of Naples through the ruins.

Remnants of a once vibrant wall.

Jenny peeking through a locked gate.

The Temple of Apollo.

Liz and Jenny.

Liz.

The Forum.

Jenny, myself, and Liz.

Photo by Jenny Kasper.

Jenny.

Jenny, Liz, and mom.

Myself and Jenny.

The Centaur statue.

Myself and Jenny.

The Basilica.

All the damage reveals the layers of construction.

Jenny checking out the maps.

Via dell’Abbondanza, one of the main streets of Pompeii.

Myself, Jenny, Liz, and mom.

The beautiful and delicate wall of a building in the Stabian Baths.

A plaster cast of one of the victims at Pompeii. During excavations they would find human bones surrounded by air pockets. They would fill the empty space with plaster and once it was hardened they would remove the earth around it. What remained was a cast of the victim in their last moments.