Over the weekend, my suitemate and I went to see Pompeii. Visiting the site of that ancient tragedy had been on my agenda ever since I landed here in Italy and realized that all the ancient and famous sites I’d read about in my textbooks and novels and readings were no longer inaccessible and remote–places from Venice to Florence to Milan were suddenly only a day trip away. With a three-day weekend of no class before us, my suitemate and I seized the opportunity to take a quick jaunt to Pompeii.
Our travel plans were perhaps a little…last minute, so we ended up taking the bus. Two and a half hours on the open road, followed by another bus for another half hour of driving went slowly–but during the last leg of our journey, the ominous shadow of Vesuvius filled the skyline visible out the bus window, waking me from my torpor and filling me with excitement and anticipation.
Once we arrived, the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii did not disappoint. With the gift shop out of maps, we resolved to simply wander and see where that brought us. We sightsaw all through the hot afternoon, trudging down wide boulevards, crossing forums and courtyards, tripping over the ruts cartwheels had left in the stone two thousand years ago.
We saw many incredible sights in the ruins–temples with pillars and altars still standing; the ancient amphitheater; houses and courtyards beyond count. What I hadn’t expected–and what proved to be my favorite part of my visit–was the fresco. Inside house after house we visited, covering the walls and ceilings, were breathtakingly painted and stunningly preserved decorative frescoes. I have no idea how the illustrations were able to survive the millennia as incredibly preserved as they have, but the color and intricacy of the artwork quite literally took my breath away. I had never seen something from antiquity that beautiful before–and I honestly doubt I will ever again.
On the bus ride back, trying to puzzle out what we’d seen that day with an online map of the ruins, I realized that in our hours of wandering we’d only scratched the surface of what was to be explored and seen in Pompeii. With the quantity of amazing sights we’d seen, I could only imagine the wonders I’d missed–and I wondered too what still lies buried in that city, waiting to be excavated and explored by future archaeologists and historians.