Hello Young Adventurers!

Locations Visited: Sorrento, Italy. Pompeii, Italy
Languages Spoken: Italian
Words learned: vulcano- volcano

Imagine it’s just another day.  You wake up, visit with your friends, and eat a nice meal when suddenly the earth begins to shake.  Your home, and half your city are devastated, brought to the ground by a large earthquake.  You consider yourself lucky, the damage could have been much worse, and so you and your friends start to rebuild your town.  Some friends move away, afraid of another earthquake, but many remain.  Life goes on peacefully for a few years until one night, the mountain near your house that you see everyday suddenly explodes, ash and magma taking over the land.  

This is more than a story.  This was reality for the people of Pompeii 1,939 years ago back in the year 79 A.D.  The mountain, now known to be a volcano, is Mount Vesuvius, a large dormant stratovolcano on the western coast of Italy between Naples and Sorrento.  It last erupted back in 1944, and could still erupt any day, although it doesn’t seem likely to be any day soon.

Pompeii was a small city just below Vesuvius that was buried deep in ash and cinders following the eruptions- up to 15 meters deep (almost 50 feet!).  What resulted as a city that was almost perfectly preserved in time.  Pompeii’s buildings, walls, streets, and framework still exist to this day, and it gives us an extremely rare glance at life for the Romans over 2,000 years ago.  Wanna come see it with me?

I woke up early to get to Pompeii to see it before it got too busy.  I signed up for a tour so that I could maximize my visit and learn as much as I could.  Our guide was amazing.  He gave us a quick history lesson on Pompeii, including the fact that it was founded back in 800 B.C.E. (Almost 2,800 years ago!).  We began our tour in the old theater lobby that was turned into a gladiator training ground following the first earthquake. Even back then, the ancient Romans who lived here performed tragedies, dramas, and other performances.  We learned that almost every ceiling had collapsed due to the weight of the ashes after the eruption, so you won’t be able to see it in the pictures- can you use your imagination to see the full buildings within these ruins?

We walked and saw some of the old houses, including one that still had paintings that have been preserved.  My personal favorite part, though, was getting to see the old bakery and “ancient Roman fast-food shop.”  Think Chipotle, but 2,000 years ago.  Check it out below- they would serve food prepared within bowls placed in the holes, and people could come in for a quick bite to eat during the day.

We finished our tour at the main forum (remember that word from Rome?).  There were ancient temples, stores, and buildings all around, with the imposing Mount Vesuvius looming in the background.  One thing we learned while here was that before the eruption, Vesuvius was double it’s current size.  Check out the difference here below (forgive my iPhone drawing- this is just a guess, nothing official)!

When the volcano exploded, it didn’t just cause magma to flow.  It exploded more like a giant bomb, shooting molten rock, cinders, and ash everywhere and causing it to lose much of its mass.  Following the tour, I ate a quick picnic lunch in the forum, and did some wandering of my own through the city.  I saw more homes, streets, and found a building where they store all the artifacts they find as they excavate.  In fact, they’re still unearthing quite a bit here, and it is no where near finished in it’s excavation.  What things to do see here?  What does it say about life for the ancient Romans?

I left the city limits, and caught a bus up to Mount Vesuvius National Park.  Friends, I have dreamed of seeing Mount Vesuvius since I was a kid, and I was so excited to get to hike atop it.  We got off the bus, and I began the climb up to the summit.  Winded, I made my way up and was welcomed by a view overlooking Naples, the bay, Capri, the Sorrento Coast, and Pompei.  It was overwhelming and beautiful.  On the other side, I was able to look straight into the crater and see the inside of the volcano!  You can’t see any magma or anything of that sort- it doesn’t just wait inside bubbling away like we see in cartoons and movies.  But it was amazing to get to see into such a legendary volcano.  Honestly, being up here was one of the most amazing moments of my life so far, and I know I won’t forget it.

I climbed my way back down to the bus, and made my way back down to where I was staying in Sorrento.  I still can’t believe I got to walk the streets of Pompeii and peer inside Mount Vesuvius.  I’ve dreamt of doing this for years, and I know this is going to be a day I never forget.  Next, I’m going to day trip to an island off the coast of Sorrento that shares a name with the goat constellation in the sky.  Can you figure it out before my next post?  Until then,

Have Courage, & Be Kind,

Mr. Weavil