The Presepi Sellers were up bright and early clattering away in the alley; early morning coffee was no doubt hastily sipped as their wares were carefully arranged on makeshift tables. By 7:30 we were up and out as well to get our day of touring started.

But first coffee!

Always.

My ridiculous amount of obsessive research paid off as we made our way to the Porta Nolana rail station- the originating station for the Circumvesuviana Line that would take us to the Pompeii station, a mere 45-minute scenic ride with the mighty Mt. Vesuvius looming to the portside of the rails.

Many of the trip bloggers that I’d read gave the exceptionally great piece of advice that boarding at the Porto Nolana would save a lot of headache and almost certainly guarantee a seat for the journey. If you board at the Main Rail Station, one stop up, you’d likely have to stand for the trip. No thanks. Plus, the Porto Novana station was a quick 7-minute walk from our Airbnb.

We easily bought our roundtrip tickets which were only about $12 each then quickly found our platform. Easy-peasy!! There are many trains a day to and from Pompeii’s Archeological Site station so even if we’d dawdled things would be ok. But as they say, the early bird gets the worm AND the best photos AND the best lighting.

Soon enough, this ratchet looking train that looks like it came straight out of the LA ghetto rolls up. We were far from the only tourists laughing. Yes, out loud. How could this thing even be rolling?!

We hopped on and found the seats we wanted (being the first to board is bomb!) and settled in. I tried to take photos but gave up as we all know how photos from a moving vehicle’s windows turn out. But imagine, if you will, an industrial seaport with ships and containers to the right, and a HUGE active volcano (currently sitting atop a deep magma layer- they say it’s overdue, so when it goes, it’s not gonna be pretty!) ahead and always to the left.

Hopping off, it was time to find the ticket office. It wasn’t hard, we followed the crowd. We were so efficient with our day that the ticket office wasn’t even open yet. So, we waited; but not long. 15 minutes later, with ease, we got our tickets- E16 for me and E2 for Anara. Woot! Time to see the treasures of the distant past.

We did not buy or join a guided tour, but it would have been nice to have had a little brochure or self-guided tour.

Oh wait!! We did!

I’d downloaded Rick Steve’s walk though Pompeii audioguide and used it for the first bit of our time there. But honestly after a while, I gave up and just enjoyed the wandering and relied on the “sort-of-adequate” signage. That would have been my one complaint about the site- there needed to be more signage and explanation. Although I also get that they want to keep it preserved well without the distraction of “extra” stuff. Anyway, what we did learn from the guided audio tour was super helpful and I’d absolutely recommend downloading it to use.

I won’t go into a huge ton of detail, but some of the highlights were the Grand Entrance Promenade, the temple, the statue of the Centaur, the Brothel, the baths, and the fast-food restaurants.

Let’s explore!!!

One of the first places we ended up in was the Temple of Jupiter. This was a very busy place with daily activities – it was described as more of a civic meeting hall than an actual sanctuary.

Pompeii is chockful of partially standing homes with intact fireplaces. Row after row of dwellings were open for exploring. But Visitor beware! Many parts of the historical site will randomly close which happened later in our day. But we got our fill and enjoyed scenes like this:

I thought the Centaur was a super cool statue; it was massive and towered at around 30 feet or so.

The mosaic floors of any archeological site make my heart race a little, so here’s a little collection of the intricate tilework unearthed at Pompeii. More detailed than I’d seen on the Island of Delos or at Ephesus.

Many of the frescoes have succumbed to the ravages of time, but many are still there albeit faded from the Italian sun and weather. Those that remain are protected either with makeshift shade or covered with plexiglass. Those that are inside homes or public places are in the best condition and a marvel to see.

Speaking of the hot, Italian sun, it was amazing that water was available for the taking, and man, it was sure appreciated!!! I’m kinda in love with this shot!!

The most well-known, and certainly most poignant, antiquities are the plaster casts of the people whose lives were changed in a matter of minutes. They certainly give one a cause to stop and contemplate the frailty of life and the opportunity to be thankful for each day we have.

Further into the center of the town we found the Brothel and the Baths. Let’s just say that the frescoes on the walls of the brothel were… graphic. At this point, the tour groups were becoming a nuisance and clogging up the touring which made things at times annoying. However, I took the opportunity to listen in for a few moments at one in there and learned that the paintings presented a sort of “menu” for the patrons. I imagine life was much shorter with the cooties that must’ve been passed around. I’m not sure what would have been worse: neurologic syphilis or lead poisoning. Suffice to say, I can’t post the photos, but they are easily google-able should you have the need to see them.

Before we left the Central area, we learned about the “fast-food stands” that were all over Pompeii at the time. Each pot would have contained hot water with another pot of food immersed inside to keep the foot warm. I found this fascinating!

It blew my mind that the chariot tracks were visible on just about every street. This was the best example of them that I was able to manage to get.

These photos only cover about half of our day, so I will pick it up again next time and I think I have a better photo of the “crosswalks” that are absolutely ingenious that accommodated both pedestrian and chariot.

Random photos:

Continued in the next post…