Pompeii

Top on Ron's list of what to see in Italy was Pompeii. After our decision to go to Mt. Vesuvius we arrived back at Pompeii and a guide met us at the entrance. We had paid for a two hour tour. We got into Pompeii just in time be there two hours before closing. A two hour tour was the perfect length and our guide was wonderful and kept the grand kids attention.

Cooking pot for serving food

The Forum with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Small amphitheatre with great acoustics

The Forum

Walking on one of the stone streets

Well preserved mosaics in what were villas

Built in 70BC, Pompeii's amphitheatre is the oldest and most complete pre-Colosseum style amphitheatre in the Roman world. Our guide said it is older than the Colosseum in Rome.

Doug and Reeve standing in the amphitheatre in Pompeii

When you exit the see plaster casts of victims. This is from the Archeology Magazine website. "In 1860, Pompeii’s director of excavations Giuseppe Fiorelli developed a way to, in a sense, bring them back to life by creating plaster casts out of the voids left by the decay of organic materials in the hardened ash and pumice. Many of the casts are in dire need of conservation, and the current archaeological superintendency is now undertaking the task of moving, conserving, and restoring 86 of the 103 casts that were made, using both traditional techniques, as well as the latest technology, to ensure that they survive long into the future as well." - Nancy