Friday 26 September 2025
At 6AM as the sun was rising over Napoli we made a dash to Deck 16 for some food and caffeine to fuel our bodies for the adventure of the day, exploring the excavated remains of an Italian community destroyed by volcanic eruption in AD 79 at The Archeological Park of Pompeii. We were soon on the bus and listening to our guide Guido as we made our way from the cruise port in downtown Naples. We learned that Naples, Italy was founded by Greeks 2500 years ago by Greek mariners. These great explorers of the Mediterranean Sea were charmed by mermaids as well as the climate boasting 300 days of sunshine a year. Here they established a culture of education and philosophy that in time became part of the Roman Empire. It was distinguished as the only Roman colony with two languages, Greek and Latin. About 22 km to the south, Pompeii was a retreat for wealthy Romans until that fateful day in 79AD when an apocalyptic explosion of one very small volcano blew with the force of fifty atomic bombs spewing ash, gas, and small volcanic pellets known as lapilli to a height of 20 miles obliterating the communities nearby. Pompeii experienced temperatures as high as 1300°F and was buried under 20 feet of ash for centuries. On our two hour tour of this largest archeological museum in the world, we visited private homes, public baths, shops, restaurants, and temples. We walked the streets that Roman citizens walked and learned that they actually walked the sidewalks only crossing the streets using stepping stones. Romans discharged waste into the streets which were then cleaned by a continuous flow of water. We paused and contemplated the 19th Century plaster casts of victims and learned that since then DNA studies have revealed the family relationships or lack thereof of individuals that were found together including a slave, a pregnant woman, a dad and his baby found with two unrelated persons, and even a dog. The entire day was an experience of “We can’t believe we’re truly here!”
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