Buon giorno!
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2008
1
30
38
Trip End
Apr 22, 2008
Sorrento,
Italy
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Beyond any doubt, a visit to Pompeii or Herculaneum, destroyed & buried by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D., will tell you more about the ancient Romans than reading 100 books! Mt. Vesuvius managed to freeze an entire society in one point of time.
I've visited Pompeii more than once but not Herculaneum. I took the train & spent the day touring the old city with a guide.
A Herculaneum house would be rather dull from the outside, with nothing but bare walls visible & very few windows. Once through the main entrance, you would see an atrium open to the sky & lavishly decorated with mosaics, marbles, statues & paintings. There was usually a basin in the center to catch rain water. Around the courtyard were small sleeping cubicles fot the family. A large study or reception room for the head of the household was the central hub where books & money were kept. Dining rooms for family activities completed the rectangle. More elaborate houses had fish ponds or warm baths.
Even simple meals were elaborate affairs with several courses. Guests reclined on large couches covered with pillows while a great variety of food was served. Plates & cups could be made of earthenware, metal or glass & were highly decorated.
Retail stores were equipped with counters holding bins or storage jars built right into them.Business owners often lived in rooms behind the store. Stepping stones were placed to allow pedestrians to cross in wet weather but spaces were left to allow chariots to get by easily. You can still see the deep ruts left by these carts.
It was a fantastic day & I really enjoyed my visit to Herculaneum. The train brought me back to Sorrento in time to browse some of the stores. I bought a bottle of Limoncello & a bottle of red wine, some of which I enjoyed this evening at dinner.
We are now cruising to Rome, arriving at the port of Civitavecchia early tomorrow. My plan is to take the train to Rome, then another train to the old Roman city of Ostia Antica. I'll write tomorrow & let you know if my plan was successful.
Linda
