I spent a week in Naples in 2012. Greater Naples was, to me, a previously-unexplored corner of Italy. The general plan was to visit Pompeii, climb Mount Vesuvius, check out the city’s National Archaeological Museum, explore its historic port, and maybe drive south along the Amalfi Coast to an idyllic beach town of my choosing.
Alas, things didn’t go as planned. It rained the first four days I was there (I don’t particularly enjoy Mediterranean Europe in the rain), and I caught a debilitating stomach virus that literally had me bedridden for the last three (sunny) days.
Still, I did make it to Pompeii, and also to Herculaneum – a recently-excavated port city that was second in line (after Pompeii) to receive the volcanic wrath of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Upon my return, I somehow “lost” the pics from my time in Greater Naples. When I accidentally stumbled upon them last week, hiding in the wrong folder of an external hard drive, I did something of a happy dance.
I thought I’d share some of my favorite images with you.
Pompeii
Pompeii was a sizable town of 20,000 people, situated at the base of the volcano. When the volcano erupted its residents had no time to escape and were buried alive. A few are “displayed” under glass in a sort of ashen mummy form.
GringoPotpourri 