Naples & Civitavecchia, Italy April 12-14, 2011

We started off our visit to Naples by docking along side the USS Monterey.  There was a lot of discussion among the old Navy types on board as to what class of ship she was.  I heard everything from a frigate to a light cruiser.  We didn’t realize they were leaving until they let go their lines.  They had been in port for three days.  You can see the tradition of lining the rails on entering and departing a port.

You know I’m a helicopter guy so here is a Sea Hawk in the hanger and out.

We stayed close to the ship on day one and visited Pompeii on day 2 .  These are pictures of the area from the bus on the way to Pompeii.

It is hard to see but there are literally dozens of antennas on the roof in the picture below.  Every roof was covered with antennas.  I guess each apartment has its own antenna.

A true Italian welcome to Pompeii (In Italian Pompei has one I, the English translation has two).

The city of Pompeii was a surprise to us.  It didn’t look anything like the various pictures and traveling exhibits we had seen.

This is main entrance behind Noreen.  The large door for chariots and carts with horses and the smaller one for people.

The height of the hill in the background is how high the land was over Pompeii when evacuations began.

Buildings surrounding the main gate.

Some buildings off the main road.

Single room stalls like these were shops along the road.

Original wall coloring still visible.

One of the main streets.

The central assembly area, one of the largest in any city at the time.

A continuation of the assembly area.  I try to shoot pictures without a lot of people in it but this shows that the area was crowded.

The body is covered in the ash.  When dug out, a hole is drilled into the shape and filled with a solidifying agent to prevent it from collapsing.  That is how they get the bodies.  This is a man.

A pregnant woman

A man who was squatting with his hands over his nose and mouth to try to protect from the ash.

This is a dog.

One of the main roads.

This is a mosaic tile entrance to a wealthy owner home.  It reads “Beware of the dog.”

Inside the same home looking toward the entrance.  Note the fountain in the sunken area of the entrance way.  The doors on the right and left are bedrooms which were always in the front of the home.

The kitchen area.

Wall decorations in the “family room.”

The courtyard in the center of the home.   The hedge is not original.

Chariot tracks worn into the roadway.

There was no drainage system on the roads.  When it rained the roads would become small rivers.  These stones were place for people to step on and avoid the water.  They are a spaced so horses and chariots can run between them.  There were always two horses and two wheels    This is a two way street.

When there was a single set of stones it was a one way street.  You can see the groves in the road stones.

Road crossing on a one way street.

This gives you an idea of the size of the town.  We were surprised at the overall size.

Pompeii was an international city with travelers from around the known world.  Language was always a challenge.  This symbol was located over the entrance to a brothel.  It takes care of the language problem.  I’ll let you figure out what it is.

 

A bakery, oven on the left.

A curve which shows the chariot and cart wheel tracks around the turn.  I think it is cool.

Did you ask about the weather?  We aren’t in the South Pacific any longer.

This ended our visit to Pompeii.  I could show you another 100 or so pictures (digital with an 8 Gig card is great) but I think you get the idea.  We traveled back to the ship and sailed a few hours later for Civitavecchia.  By the time we arrived the next day I was laid up with a bad back.  Sorry, no pictures.  Noreen and I took a quick walk out to sample the local food and back to the ship.  So we’ll see you next in Spain.