Ravello

Today has been all about once more taking a step backwards into Ancient Roman Culture. Having previously visited Hadrian's Imperial Villa at Tivoili, we did have an idea what to expect and of course Pompeii is well known the world over, as the city that perished in the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79, but the sheer scale of it is overwhelming. We did not manage to visit it all or Herculaneum, it's smaller cousin similarly destroyed the other side of the volcano. One of us did feel that wandering about more ruins in the heat, this time with the world and his wife for company could only be stomached in two hour bursts!! For those of you who have not been able to visit, it is absolutely fascinating. The work that has been accomplished over the years is tremendous, but it is still a gigantic archaeological excavation to be honest. Pompeii and the majority of its occupants were buried over a two day period in a 6 mtr layer of red hot ash, pumice and cinder, spewed out by the volcano in a series of enormous eruptions, beginning first thing one morning, accompanied by earthquakes and lightening. The poor inhabitants must have justifiably thought the end of the world was nigh and most, understandably, attempted to take shelter in their homes, not realising that what they really needed to do was flee whilst they had the chance. The sky turned black and the terrified inhabitants huddled in their houses waiting for the eruption to pass and hoping to survive the debris field raining down on them. What we of course know today, is that there was worse to come. The enormous mushroom cloud that rose some 20,000 ft into the sky eventually fell back to earth and scorched down the sides of Vesuvius at speeds of 65mph. Known as a pyroclastic flow, it incinerated everything in its path, both animal and human. It was this that destroyed Herculaneum, which up to now had avoided the majority of the searingly hot debris and it was then buried by a thick layer of scalding mud. Anyone who had survived in either town so far, stood not a chance. The site was abandoned for many years following the disaster and it was not until Hadrian's reign that an attempt was begun to recover the position. Clearly, archaeologists have discovered a vast amount about the lives of Roman citizens from Pompeii, as here, unlike other places, life stopped dead on that fateful morning, with the detritus of everyday life in place. What does seem haunting is that Pompeii's remains are surrounded by modern day Napoili. The juxtaposition between the fate of these ancient Romans and the Napolese going about their everyday business is poignant to say the least.
We returned to Palazzo Avino for a late lunch pleased to have had the chance to experience Pompeii firsthand, but somewhat chastened. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed my pear, Gorgonzola, rocket and walnut salad, with honey dressing, it was in my mind that all those centuries ago the townspeople of Pompeii did not get beyond breakfast.Read more