November 2018
Pompeii. I had only heard bits and pieces about this ancient city, and only the words like decadence, tragedy, and mythology came to my mind to describe it. I never realized the excavated site was so close to Naples, either. So when we were to stop in Naples on our cruise trip in November 2018, we decided to go check it out.
We got off the ship around 7:30 AM and walked to the bus station. It was about a 10 minute walk from the cruise terminal heading east(right). SITA bus depot was easy to spot because it was full of buses, and the ticket sellers were walking around the lot so we grabbed one to buy our tickets(2.80 Euros) to Pompeii. The bus departed right on time at 8 AM, and the ride was comfortable and quick – it took only 30 minutes. The driver made an announcement so that we knew where to get off. He also pointed to the right direction to get to the entrance to the Pompeii Archaeology Park.
Marina Entrance(Porta Marina) on the western edge of the park was just 5 minutes away. We noticed the train station (Pompeii Scavi: map) was about 2 minutes from the entrance. We decided to take the bus to get there because from the cruise terminal, the bus depot was much closer than the train station(Garibaldi), which could be reached by a 10 Euro cab ride. If we had missed the bus, we would have gone to the train station to catch the next train since the trains were running much more frequently that the buses.
We originally planned to enter the park through the Mystery Villa 10 minutes up the street from the Marina Gate. But the Mystery Villa no longer offered the ticket office, thus, we had to walk back to the Marina Gate and waited till 9 AM to buy the tickets (15 Euros per person). This was unfortunate because we did not get to visit this Villa which was supposed to be full of interesting frescos. We could have done it if we had more energy after visiting the main sites in the park, but, we did not. Walking straight, from Marina Gate to to the other end(Amphitheatre) is about 1.2 km.
We thought of renting the audio guide, but we were required to return it to the same spot, so we gave up the idea. Our plan was to exit through the other entrance on the east end of the park, Piazza Anfiteatro, after our visit.
As you enter the park, you come to the temples of Venus and Apollo before reaching Basilica and the Forum. Destroyed and buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, the whole site was amazingly well preserved in my opinion.
After visiting the Forum baths and the House of the Tragic Poet and the House of the Faun, we were getting tired. We stopped in Lupanar(brothel) before turning onto Via Dell’abondanza, which had a series of houses to peak in. From the last house on this block, House of Julia Felix, we could exit to the Amphitheatre area. (a map)
After seeing it myself, would I add any other words to describe Pompeii? First of all, Pompeii is a city where 25,000 people live and work nowadays. The ancient ruin sits in this city, but it is not all there is in town. Tourists go there for that, but the townspeople conduct their daily lives whether tourists come or not. I could detect that Romans who had houses there in old Pompeii, which was described as a resort town, lived well. Were they really more decadent than modern people who vacation in resort towns? I am not too sure. By looking at the number of temples on site, they certainly paid more attention to the gods than modern vacationers. Mount Vesuvius was part of the ancient mythology with a linkage to Jupiter and Hercules. The huge volcanic eruption was tragic for sure back then, but it is still considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world even though it looks peaceful as a national park. The government of Italy has an emergency plan in place just in case. Life goes on for humans as well as for volcanoes.
I had picked two restaurants nearby the Amphitheatre exit: Stuzzico by Lucius, a few meters to the right, and Le Delizia, about 100 meters to the left. Both were not open when we got there. We ended up having pasta at a place across from Le Delizia, and the food was pretty good.
From here we quickly came to the Cathedral of Pompeii, and it was worth a look. The train station, Pompeii Santuario, was located behind the cathedral. The train(2.80 Euros) took about 40 minutes to get to Garibaldi Station in Naples.
One thing we were determined to do in Naples was having one of the best pizzas in the city. Depending on whom you ask, each local person may pick a different pizza joint as his/her favorite. But I noticed a few places are consistently on the listings of the top 5 pizza joints.(3 of these are shown on the map above). I decided to try L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, which was about a 15-20 minute walk from Garibaldi.
A long line was formed in front at 3 in the afternoon. We got a small piece of paper with #84 on it. They were calling #66 when we first arrived. Almost an hour later, we got inside and sat down. They have only two kinds of pizza: Margherita (with cheese, tomato sauce, and one basil leaf) and Marinara(tomato sauce, garlic, oregano). A small size is 4 Euros each and was not exactly small. All the drinks(beer, soda) are 2 Euros each.
We were hungry by this time and anxious to order, but no waiter was available. Apparently, 4 pm was their shft change and they could not handle orders till the new shift started.
Finally we got our pizza, and, yes! It was worth all the trouble. Very simple but extremely satisfying. I finally realized we do not need toppings to have a great pizza. Thin, puffy crust and runny sauce and cheese came together to form a perfect piece of pizza.
I had originally planned to visit Gesu Nuovo Church and Santa Chiara monastery. And, maybe, National Archeology Museum, where most of the treasures found in Pompeii site are displayed. No time.
We walked back to the cruise terminal and made the all aboard time of 5:30 PM.
Small Wide World 