Pompeii … in pictures … mostly

Walking through the remarkably well preserved ruins I was struck with a sense of lives lived and lost. People walked these streets, went about their business selling goods, artists painted, politicians did their underhanded deals, authors, poets and musicians composed their works, children ran and played. Life happened.

Brief history:
The Vesuvian area suffered a violent earthquake in 62 AD. Reconstruction started in Pompeii immediately and 17 years later, on 24 August of 79 AD, renovations still incomplete, Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii under ash and rock. It was rediscovered in the 16th century, but exploration didn’t begin until 1748 under the King of Naples, Charles III of Bourbon and has continued systematically into the 19th century up until the most recent works of excavation and restoration.

Tomorrow I will be seeing the items excavated at the Archeological Museum in Naples. The site visit today will give good perspective.

That’s a big tick off my bucket list. Pompeii … check.