Pompeii

No one really knows when Pompeii was first settled, but there are records dating back to 424BC which indicate a thriving community lived here. For ancient Pompeii, this ended when Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city in ash, killing many of the townspeople as they were sleeping. This catastrophe effectively froze the city in time, leaving it for us as a full scale model of Roman life with all the stuff of life captured in place--including the artwork on the walls and the political ads on the billboards.

We found the city large and intriguing--and very similar to Paris. Street side cafes, wide sidewalks, bread shops in every block, large doors opening to beautiful private gardens, small apartments with finely detailed interiors and large public spaces and entertainments. A very modern city. The children found it to be a wonderful place for crawling and climbing and exploring.

Alex in a field of marble trees 

The Temple of Apollo 

Flour mills at the bakery 

 The Basilica. These courthouses were the basic design for most large churches

 Mosaic entryway to a large home

 There was so much traffic that the chariots wore ruts in the road

A streetside cafe--the first drivethrough? 

Dancing in the forum 

 The edge of Pompeii where the ancient city meets the modern

A courtyard and fountain 

 The oldest known ampitheatre. The seats were covered with large canvas canopies

The gladiator training grounds 

Someone who overslept a bit on the day Vesuvius erupted 

 Venus looking out at a lush garden

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