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Not just Pompeii
  • Tim Lynette Wilkins

Not just Pompeii

A 15-day adventure by Tim Lynette Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 26, 2025
    Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Gesu Nuovo - Jesuit church
    Santa Chiara - Franciscan churchNew stained glass in Santa ChiaraMajolica tiles in Santa Chiara cloisterCaravaggio painting - Seven acts of mercyDuomo - cathedralStained glass above altar in Duomo13c fresco in Capella Capece Minutolo5c mosaics in baptistry13c mosaics in church of St Restituta

    Naples the ugly city

    September 27 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Piles of rubbish in every corner, and strewn over all the squares, graffiti on every surface, decayed and abandoned buildings, even the entrances of the new metro stations are kicked in and crazed. When we first went to jerez it felt tattered at the edges, and with fallen down, abandoned, buildings. But since then they have worked hard to improve and modernise. Here it feels that it's been this way so long they now just don't care. Very sad.

    This morning we walked along Spaccanapoli the street dividing the centre of the city, and visited two churches that sounded interesting. The first, Gesu Nuovo, is a very decorated Jesuit church with rich 16c frescoes everywhere . The second was completely opposite- a very plain austere church with some beautiful modern stained glass in different styles. The church was bombed in 1943 but was rebuilt in the original style. It has a famous cloister covered in colourful 17c majolica tiles - not to our taste but impressive. It has a small bit of original 14c fresco by Giotto or one of his pupils and an excavated Roman bathhouse very ruined.

    The next stop was a museum with a fabulous painting by Caravaggio with many other boring paintings.

    After lunch we went to the Duomo which contains the oldest baptistry in Europe with wonderful 5c mosaics - like the ones in Ravenna, a 13c church also with mosaics and a chapel with 13c frescoes.

    A tiring day among hordes of noisy tourists but worth it.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Mummy figures of a family 1200 BC
    Obsidian head 70 BCSarcophagus case 400 BCFiance wing 500 BCLapis figure of Maat 700 BCBowl with cameoCameo bowl reverseMosaics portrait 60 ADMosaics of sea creaturesMosaics over two women with a witchNeopolis Greek walls

    Museum day

    September 28 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today we spent in the Naples museum, which is a really good museum; well-lit, beautiful artifacts, labels in Italian and English. We were impressed!

    We will be going again on our tour so we avoided the pompeii stuff, but there's lots of other things. One floor of Egyptian things which were very good, the Farnese collection of jewels, with lots of cameo work including a spectacular bowl made from red and white striped sardonyx with a white cameo. Then lots of mosaics, some from pompeii, which were the finest we have ever seen, made from tiny, tiny, tessera. We did look briefly at the Pompeii and Herculaneum frescoes to find the ones we have pictures of on our bathroom wall.

    One the way back we stopped to see a small excavated section of wall from the pre-roman Greek city of neopolis.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler

    Arrival in Pompeii

    September 29 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    This morning we spent in a huge museum and gallery on top of the hill overlooking Naples, with works by painters like Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Artemisia Gentileschi. Even though half of it was closed for refurbishing, it still took us a few hours to get round. The museum has a great collection of first class paintings from 13c to 18c from wealthy families like the Farnese and the Bourbon rulers.

    After that a local train from Naples to Pompeii, and meeting up with our tour after breakfast in the morning.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Amphitheatre
    Amphitheatre seating 20000Vesuvius - the dip is where the cone blew offPlaster cast of one who didn't escapeRoom in House of MenanderCast of a slave's bedGreat theatreOven in a bakery Insula of chaste loversTemple of Jupiter in forumForum bathsVilla of MysteriesHouse of VettiFresco of putti making perfumeGarden of house of vettiFresco of dice playersFresco of wine cupsFast food shop with fresco

    What a day!

    September 30 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Today was all about Pompeii. We started off at 9.00 with an hour's lecture from our archaeologist Jamie Sewell who has excavated here and is very good. We entered the site at 10.00 and got back to the hotel at 5.30 with just 45 min break to eat our packed lunch. It was exhausting but worth every minute. Jamie finished his tour about 3.30 but we couldn't resist popping into a few more houses on our walk back. The mosaics in the Naples museum are better than those left in situ but the frescoes still here are much better as they are just as fine and you can see them in context. And there are so many of them - far more than we were able to see 26 years ago when we were last here. Can't describe them all but for our benefit will try to list the places we saw:

    Amphitheatre
    House of Julia Felix
    House of Menander
    Triangular forum
    Great theatre
    Insula of chaste lovers (still being excavated)
    Forum
    Forum baths
    Villa of the Mysteries (home to frescoes on our bathroom wall)
    House of the vetti
    House of the faun
    House of Marco Lucrezio Frontone
    House of Sirico
    Stabian baths
    Thermopolium of Vertutius Placidus
    House of the marine Venus.

    We took over 70 photos and plan to go back to see more on Monday after the tour finishes.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Greek fresco 5th century bc
    Glass jars 1st century bcGlass bowl 1st century bcglass perfume bottle 1st century bcCameo glass jar 1st century bcObsidian bowl with inlaid precious stoneGlass bowl 1st century bcBronze faunTerracotta plate 4c bcGreek Bell krater 4c bcPainted tomb 330 bcMosaicNike scene mosaicNile scene mosaicUnderground roman street of shops

    Back to the museum

    October 1 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We went back to the Naples museum, this time as part of the tour, but they wanted to take ages talking in the huge gallery of pompeii sculpture, which didn't interest us. So we broke off and did it our way. We started in the gallery of roman glass, which was spectacular, then all the frescoes from the temple of Isis, followed by another wander through the main fresco gallery. Then objects of daily life in pompeii, which were really interesting, although anything wooden didn't survive so it was mostly bronze or ironware. There is a gallery of "Magna Graecia" covering the original Greek settlement of the region from 800bc and it's continuing influence on the Romans. Finally we flew through the prehistory section, which is the latest gallery opened but didn't seem very well thought out and presented.

    After lunch a tour of underground Naples to see the remains of the medieval city and roman city now several metres below current street level. With streets, roman roads, rows of shops and other buildings you can still walk around.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    The largest temple built about 480bc
    Largest and behind it the oldest templeLargest temple in classic Doric styleInside the largest templeInside the oldest temple built 530bc before the parthenonMysterious pool with ramp and platformView across the siteThe 3rd temple also in classic doric styleA press for oils and perfumesPoor man's mosaic floorRicher man's mosaic floorHouse with large private poolMosaic inscription on threshholdLunchPainted wall of Lucanian tombGreek painting of diver from inside sarcophagus lidPainting from inside diver's sarcophagusFinds from tombsFinds from a wellRelief of women dancing

    Paestum

    October 2 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Today we drove for an hour and a half south of Pompeii to a Greek town of Paestum. It was first founded in 800bc as a trading settlement and later grew into a planned Greek polis based on an organised grid system of roads. It flourished until overrun by the Lucanians around 400bc and then the Romans a century and a half later. Both adopted Greek culture and preserved much of the Greek monuments.

    The main features of the site are 3 magnificent Greek temples still standing to full height - some of the best preserved anywhere. But we were surprised to find that there are many other interesting ruins to see albeit not so well preserved. After Jamie's tour and explanations we spent another hour and a half wandering round on our own.

    This area is famous for its buffalo mozzarella so we had to try some for lunch. After lunch we had a couple of hours in the site museum and rewarded ourselves with yummy gelatos.

    Yesterday there were thunderstorms and rain which we managed to dodge. Today was sunny again but much cooler and very windy.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    View of Herculaneum from above the old sea shore
    Charred wooden partitionLatrine outside the bathsMosaic floor of the bathsMosaic fountain in house of NeptuneHouse of NeptuneWood partition and mezzanine in grocersPrice list outside wine shopCollege of AugustalesCharred wooden beamThermopolion with posh marble front3D copies of skeletons found on the sea shore waiting for rescueSamnite house - pre RomanWine jars that had been repaired in antiquityMosaic atrium and wonky floorCarved agate cup in museumVilla Poppea in oplontis brilliant frescoesVilla PoppeaVilla Regina in Boscoreale - a farmhouseRoom containing giant dolia buried in ground to store wineThe bridal carriage in the museumDetails of bronze and silver medallionsFresco of plate of figs

    Herculaneum, Oplontis and Boscoreale

    October 3 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Another busy day visiting 3 locations close to Pompeii and all buried by the volcanic eruption.

    First was Herculaneum which was a town like Pompeii but different. Whereas Pompeii seems to have been a town on the make, Herculaneum seems to be more upper class and relaxed. It also suffered a different fate. Whereas Pompeii was buried under 40 metres of small light pebbles of pumice which suffocated anyone left behind, Herculaneum suffered a pyroclastic flow of superheated ash around 400c that killed anyone instantly. The ash then hardened to concrete but the buildings didn't collapse so the houses still have upper floors and preserved charred wood.

    The excavated area is much smaller than Pompeii so we were able to visit most of the open buildings:

    House of the wooden screen
    Central baths, women's section
    House of Neptune
    Grocery store with mezzanine and wine racks
    Workshop of the metal worker
    Arches to forum
    College of the Augustales
    Central baths, men's section
    Grand tavern
    House of the telephon
    Sacred area
    Ancient beach with skeletons of fugitive
    House of the stags
    House of the artist
    House of the black saloon
    Samnite house
    House of the bronze herm
    House of the mosaic atrium and undulating floor
    House of the tuscan colonnade
    Boat museum
    Antequarium/ museum.

    Second was a very large seaside villa in Oplontis that is still being excavated. It has a very large swimming pool and many rooms with frescoes in the 2nd style.

    Last stop was a small farmhouse where the main product was wine. It also had a lovely museum containing lots of information on daily life including burnt remains of food and drink that has been analysed and identified. It also has on display the bridal carriage recently excavated and restored as seen on a BBC programme.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Bay of naples, towards pompeii
    Villa Arianna. Lead pipe junctionsVilla Arianna. Ariadne and theseusVilla Arianna, fresco decorationVilla arianna. Fresco birdVilla San Marco. Children's grafittiVilla San Marco. Children's grafittiAthena (?) With a wand and the palladiumVilla San Marco. Fresco birdVilla San Marco. Swimming pool.Museum libero. Drinking cup 4th c bcMuseum libero. Fresco 1st c adMuseum libero. Fresco 1st c adMuseum libero. Fresco 1st c adMuseum libero. Satyrs and nymphs dancingMuseum libero. Glass cup 1st c adMuseum tirzigno. Silver jugMuseum tertzigno. Lararium 200 bc

    Stabia

    October 4 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    So today we drove south out of Pompeii to the next town along the coast, Stabia. This was famous for its very richly decorated high status shore-front villas, and as the place where Plini, admiral of the fleet , sailed to try and rescue people from the AD79 eruption, and him dying on the beach in the process.

    We went to two spectacular villas: villa Arianna, (named for a fresco of Ariadne and Theseus) and villa San Marco, Each built right onto the cliff overlooking the bay, and consisting of dozens of rooms covered with fabulous frescoes. Afterwards to a really good museum (museo libero d'orsi) full of fine artifacts from the villas, and after a quick visit to the modern seafront, to another museum (Terzigno) way up on the lower slopes of the volcano to see things from 3 more modest villas around it that were discovered from digging a quarry. These villas were primary involved in producing wine and olive oil but also had some decorated rooms.    Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    View across the bay from the opposite side to yesterday
    Temple of Diana later used as a frigidarium of a bathsView of Misenum from BaiaeAnother later huge Temple of DianaAmphitheatre at Pozzuoli used for animal gamesMarket hall - Macellum - in Pozzuoli

    Awful last day of tour

    October 5 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Today was supposed to be about sites mentioned by two writers - Pliny and Robert Harris. Pliny was admiral of the Roman fleet based at Misenum from where he described the stages of the eruption. Robert Harris started his book 'Pompeii ' in the Piscina Mirabilis, the cistern, big enough to provision to whole fleet with water, at the end of the aqueduct, also at Misenum and this was to be our first site. Misenum is in the Campo Flagrea to the northwest of Naples and the whole area is a caldera that sits on top of a giant magma chamber that is active and causes the ground to move up and down, through two or three metres. Yesterday there was an earthquake here, just 3.4 magnitude, but enough for them to close the archaeological sites especially those underground. So we drove around looking at anything Roman we could see and whilst we were in the open there was a violent thunderstorm with sheets of torrential rain for 20 mins. We were expecting rain today so were all wearing waterproofs and had brollies but they couldn't cope. We were all soaked so voted to give up and return to the hotel to dry out. Jamie is taking anyone who wants to go back into Pompeii site this afternoon but we prefer to wait for the sunshine tomorrow.Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    Beach in Vico Equense with view of Vesuvius
    Ariadne in naxosAnimal frescoAnimal frescoAnimal frescoBoat frescoBakery - flour millsBakery - ovenPots of fresco pigmentsAriadne and dionysiusFloor mosaicGladiator floor mosaicTemple of isisSmall theatre

    Moving on

    October 6 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    The tour ended last night with everybody going their separate ways this morning. We took the opportunity to go back into the Pompei site to see some of the bits we didn't see before, for another three hour visit. Then we took a taxi out of Pompei to go to Vico Equense, a town on the coast near to Sorrento, and opposite the island of Capri. We will stay here for a few days before going home. The hotel is right on the beach, has pools, and there are good restaurants so we can just chill .Read more

  • Tim Lynette WilkinsNot just PompeiiTraveler
    The beach
    Tim on the beachHotel from the beachThe wellness centre pools

    Rest day 2

    October 8 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Pretty much the same as yesterday but with the addition of the beach. It's no Caribbean strand - quite small and a mix of sand and pebble - but it is pleasant enough. The sunbeds around the wellness pools are more comfy so we spend more time there.Read more

  • Trip end
    October 10, 2025
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