I have wanted to visit Pompeii ever since I was little, and I finally had the opportunity in November 2021 when I took a solo trip to Rome. If you want more information about the best way to visit Pompeii, check out this post. For now, I'm going to share all the fun facts I learned during my guided tour with Sasha.
One of the first things I learned is that Pompeii was actually waterfront property before Mt. Vesuvius erupted. I also discovered that the current landscape is full of pomegranates and rosemary and smelled divine.
We stopped at the entrance so Sasha could share some of the history of Pompeii with us. And then our first stop - the Baths of Pompeii.
Sasha told us this is one of the only existing roofs remaining in Pompeii because most of them collapsed with the weight of the ash. I’m amazed by all of the details carved into it.
He walked us through each of the rooms and explained how they went from cold to hot baths…. and one of the brothel rooms. There were 25 registered bordellos in Pompeii. Here’s one of them. It does have some erotic art on it, but I think it’s hard enough to really see it that I don’t mind posting it.
The walls of the bath were all painted with different scenes, most of them related to the sea. Sasha compared them to big screen televisions at the sports bar to keep the community entertained with stories.
After we cycled around the different rooms in the Baths, we had a very steep hill to climb to enter into the city proper. Sasha explained that they would usually use donkeys or other animals to enter into the city. I wouldn’t have minded that.
Luckily, that was the only steep hill of the day. Everything else in Pompeii was flat and fairly accessible. Once we reached the top, we stepped into what used to be the Supreme Court, if I remember correctly.
Then, Sasha took us through a closed gate that said No Entry into a temple. That was another bonus of going on a guided tour - getting into places I would never see on my own because I’d follow the rules and not enter.
This part of Pompeii was full of public spaces - the court, the temple, and then we walked into the huge forum.
Sasha pointed out the upper columns and explained that the forum at Pompeii would have been two stories with all sorts of shops surrounding it. To one side of the forum is a repository of all the pottery and other archaeological features stored inside. And this is also where they had a few examples of some of the people found and preserved in the ash. From what I understand, archaeologists found cavities in the ash. They discovered they could pour in plaster of Paris and create an exact replica of the person or animal that once inhabited that spot. Here’s a great article that explains it in more detail.
There were only three figures on display when I visited. It’s strange to admit that I was disappointed by that. The idea of people caught in that moment of life just before an unexpected natural disaster is so fascinating. I did learn, though, that most people in Pompeii didn’t die from ash, like I had expected, but they died from poisonous gas that caused asphyxiation. One of the poignant figures I saw was a man holding his nose.
After touring the public sphere of Pompeii, we moved on to see the residential part of Pompeii. One of the biggest surprises to me when visiting was just how massive the city is! This is just one of the roads laid out in a grid.
Here’s a fancy entry into one of the residences in Pompeii.
It was interesting to see all of the unique houses and imagine the people who may have lived there once. This is a home with a Beware of Dog sign in the entry.
Sasha explained that this house had some campaign advertisement painted on it. Usually, they would repaint over it, but didn’t get a chance to with this one. It’s a little hard to see, but they’ve covered it with plexiglass to protect it.
There was so much to explore! Luckily Sasha knew the best places to take us. I also discovered that a lot of Pompeii is still waiting to be excavated! He took us to the outskirts of the city to a resident that had recently been excavated during Covid shut downs. It was incredible to see something in such amazing condition.
I’m just so in love with all the decorative frescoes. There are so many details - like the tromp l’oeil columns on the right-hand side. And then the beautiful paintings of Leda and the Swan and another sculpture. Here’s another angle.
And the photo below is of the area next door, still covered in ash and dirt. I wonder what amazing discoveries lie in wait under the layers.
One of my favorite spots was a residence that seemed almost too perfectly intact. I meant to ask Sasha if it had been reconstructed at all, but true to form, I was always lagging behind the group taking photos. This residence had a beautiful courtyard and some impressive flooring and frescoes.
Just a few more areas to explore. I will say that so much of Pompeii looked alike - lots of crumbling walls. I was grateful to have a guide to show us some of the best places. I did love these winding roads, though.
One of the most surprising things I saw was a literal buffet. Sasha explained that ancient Pompeiians would also gather around for a hot meal and these were basically chafing dishes with food for sale.
Overall, we spent two hours wandering around Pompeii and learning about its history. I was really glad I had taken a tour, but at the same time, I missed going at my own pace. After two hours, I was both ready to go and also still had so much more I wanted to see! Either way, I didn’t have a choice. The van was leaving, and I had to get on it.