August 24th, 79AD, Mother Nature chose to demonstrate her tremendous power. Her weapon? The Volcano, Mt. Vesuvius. Her victim? The unsuspecting town of Pompeii. In a 2 day rain of hot ash and pumice, Pompeii was frozen in a moment. Only to be rediscovered in 1748.In my travels, I've seen more than my share of ruins. Ephesus in Turkey is cool. I quite like 
Palmyra in Syria. And, well, there's the majority of Egypt. But Pompeii, some 20km from Naples Italy, is in a class all it's own. As opposed to being a few rocks scattered about a field, Pompeii is an amazingly well preserved city. And by "city" I mean 12 km2 of houses, shops, theatres and such. Seismic activity in Italy is nothing new. Actually the architecture of Pompeii, and other cities, show signs of early earthquake proofing. But nothing could prepare the people for the events nearly 2,000 years ago. Some 60 feet of ash was dumped on the city in a matter of days.
Palmyra in Syria. And, well, there's the majority of Egypt. But Pompeii, some 20km from Naples Italy, is in a class all it's own. As opposed to being a few rocks scattered about a field, Pompeii is an amazingly well preserved city. And by "city" I mean 12 km2 of houses, shops, theatres and such. Seismic activity in Italy is nothing new. Actually the architecture of Pompeii, and other cities, show signs of early earthquake proofing. But nothing could prepare the people for the events nearly 2,000 years ago. Some 60 feet of ash was dumped on the city in a matter of days. Probably the most sobering indicator of the speed of the event, can be illustrated by
the numerous plaster castings spread about the site. As archaeologist found cavities in the ground where they dug, the poured plaster into them making molds. What they had found were the gaps left by the townsfolk as they were trying to hide from the disaster. 2,000 years of decay left nothing more than a gap in the ground. Men, women, children and even a tied up dog huddled together in hopes of riding out the eruption. Instead, their ghostly plaster images painfully reconstruct the indiscriminately violent power of the forces of nature. But Pompeii was never really an important city. Sure it was a bustling commercial centre, but the remains of the city are all pretty much the same and unspectacular. It would be like discovering one of those carbon copy suburbs, where all the houses look the identical.
the numerous plaster castings spread about the site. As archaeologist found cavities in the ground where they dug, the poured plaster into them making molds. What they had found were the gaps left by the townsfolk as they were trying to hide from the disaster. 2,000 years of decay left nothing more than a gap in the ground. Men, women, children and even a tied up dog huddled together in hopes of riding out the eruption. Instead, their ghostly plaster images painfully reconstruct the indiscriminately violent power of the forces of nature. But Pompeii was never really an important city. Sure it was a bustling commercial centre, but the remains of the city are all pretty much the same and unspectacular. It would be like discovering one of those carbon copy suburbs, where all the houses look the identical.It is absolutely critical that you either get a guide, a handheld audio guide or at the very least a map BEFORE entering the site. There are only a few, well hidden maps not to mention a complete lack of signage. There are a few tiny little directional signs (in Italian only) but nothing to describe what it is you're looking at. The site is easy to get to. From Naples take the Circumvesuviana train line to Pompeii Scavi (not Pompeii). It cost 2.40 Euro and takes 35 minutes. All in all, the site is impressive for it's size, in tactness and notoriety. But it lacks impact of other sights around the world. Still worth a visit if in the area.
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