Traveling Back in Time - Pompei

Today was by far the best day I've had on the trip so far...

We started the day off meeting at 8:00 a.m. to catch a 9:00 train from Termini station to Naples. Where we boarded the metro to Pompeii. Pompeii was hands down the most remarkable place I've been in my entire life. We were so fortunate that our tour guide was a professional Italian Archeologist and knew every quirky fact and really did an incredible job at putting the ancient city into perspective for us. If anyone ever wants to go there, I have his card to recommend him when you sign up for your tour. I wish that I had the time to reiterate the entire tour we had because the history and excavation were breathtaking. We were able to see the caster bodies that show the expressions and positions of those who died in the volcanic eruption (if you know nothing of Pompeii - I highly suggest "googling" it now). We also saw the area where the people would sell their goods and had their versions of "fast food" right on the streets. The houses varied in size by the wealth and political systems of the city. Everything was about rank, even the location of the shops on the streets.

look closely and you will see the caster of a man as he died

One of the most astonishing buildings we toured and got to take a time machine back thousands of years was the male bath house. When you entered there was a sophisticated changing room, followed by an outdoor courtyard that featured a gym and exercise area. After that was a massage table where slaves would pamper them and relax their muscles before they went into the sauna room. In the sauna room we learned that slaves in an outside room would pump boiling water through pipes into the walls and floors to keep them nice and warm for the people walking around the sauna. They also burned wood to generate steam in the middle of the room. They then would go into the room with large pools, one hot to bath, and then one cold to help circulation...

Of course we toured the brothel which featured detailed artwork which many believed to be a "menu" for the guests. Prostitution was legal and a commonality in the time and the building was restored very accurately because of the stone beds the brothel used. It is also one of few buildings that had a recovered second story. Other prostitutes in the city could be found by symbolic "markings" (see pictures below) that would point to the houses or room where a prostitute lived. Even though it was common, it was taboo to ask someone how to find a prostitute.

Another interesting shop was that of a excavated bakery featured an industrial flour machine (crazy that they could figure out how to make flour with this mule powered machine) and an oven. It's crazy to me that the same "brick oven" style is still used today to create Neopolitan pizzas and in restaurants all over the world. Thousands of years later and we still use their ovens...wow! We also use their standard chariot width as the standard for all carriages and carts still today and many other norms they set in their time which is reflected in our modern society.

I really could go on an on and on about Pompeii... Most amazing thing I've even seen in my life.

Contact Info for Dr. Emiliano Tufano (archaeologist and tour guide):
emi.tufano@gmail.com, www.myspace.com/liveatpompei, (+39) 3284134719