Rome - Day Four
In my opinion, the best thing we did on our Rome trip was go to Pompeii. Strange, because we were warned against going. Actually, I can absolutely see why we were warned against it because the tour we took was AWFUL...We were picked up at our hotel at 7:00am for our Naples and Pompeii trip. Our coach took us on the motorway to Naples where we arrived at about noon. Let me tell you, I have never been in an uglier, more unappealing city than Naples in my life! Worse than the slums in Mumbai, Naples is a run-down collection of graffitied apartments with nothing positive about it. Apparently the city is riddled with poverty (illegal immigrants from its huge port) and crime (being the mafia capital of the world and all) and these 'features' are proclaimed from one street to the next. I would be happy to never ever go there again.
Another negative feature of our tour is that the coach stopped at numerous tourist-traps with the sole intent on exploiting our wallets. As if we hadn't paid enough to begin with, we were forced to visit a cameo 'factory' where it was thought we would splash out tens of thousands of euros on coral cameo jewellery (which was hideous, btw). They pulled out the displays of merchandise before we arrived and couldn't stop themselves from packing them away before our coach even left the parking lot! This was repeated at several 'supermarkets' which were stocked with quadruple-priced italian fare. Does it say 'stupid' on my forehead?
Don't answer that.
Anyway, by 2:00pm, when we pulled up to Pompeii, Riccardo and I were both thinking, 'God, this better be worth it!' - actually it was!
Pompeii was amazing. Such a trip through time. In case you don't know, Pompeii is what remains of an ancient city that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. It wasn't the lava as such that destroyed the city, but rather the ash that unexpectedly fell on the city due to a change in the wind. Metres of ash covered houses, streets, shops, animals and people, asphixiating them almost instantly, and in doing so, preserved the city for more than 2,000 years.
Walking through Pompeii is like a time warp because of how visible their lifestyle was back then - it was remarkably similar to our own. They had proper streets with elevated crosswalks (so the chariots could pass), sewage systems, running water, a high street (like downtown) with all manner of shops, various sized houses with bathrooms, second floors, wall decorations, mosaic tiling, government buildings, a theatre for watching plays, and so much more. And it's all more or less intact. And huge. It was mind-blowing.
There are even several petrified people and a dog that they've found and been able to inject plaster into in order to preserve (though the ash fossilised their outsides the organic matter within had decomposed).
A couple hundred years ago, when Pompeii was rediscovered so to speak, the pillaging began; therefore many artifacts have been stolen and of course the elements have begun to take their toll. But, excavation in Pompeii is on-going, so who knows what else they'll find.
So my advice: if at all possible, arrange your own transfers to and from Pompeii (either by renting a car or, possibly by shuttle), but even if you have to take a tour, GO!
That night we had an amazing dinner (our best while there, which is saying a lot because the food is worth going to Italy on its own!) at a restaurant in the Ponte called Macherroni. Go there, too - ask for Stephano! (I can give you the exact address if you ask.)
Our last day in Rome was spent meandering around the city. We saw the Capitolium, Bocca della Veritas, Piazza Navona (where chariot racing once took place), a museum and much more. Posting these four entries about Rome have taken me 4.5 hours, and I still have to tell you all about our Manchester trip to see 30 Seconds to Mars! So if I get time I'll post a slideshow of the highlights of our last day. Until then,
Arivederci!
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