IF YOU WERE A ROMAN IN POMPEII, August 24 in the year 79 AD would have been a good day to be out of town. That’s because a 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, only ten kilometers away, initially covered Pompeii with three-meters of ash. The pyroclastic flow and heated gas continued the following day leaving about 1000 dead. Pompeii remained buried under twenty-feet of ash until it was “discovered” in 1748. What you see today is the result of 250 years of archeological excavation—and it isn’t finished. And if nothing catastrophic happened in August, you might have wanted to visit your favorite auntie in late October, too.
Survining Victim cast in stone
In 2012 we arrived by train from Sorrento—today we walked from our flat, Casa Cinque. For the most part things were the same as on our first visit—that is to say confusing. And the official Pompeii website, even in translation, is pretty vague. Pompeii is divided into nine regions, Regio I-IX. Most folks head straight for Regio VII and the Roman Forum with its views of Mt. Vesuvius just as we did last time. Today we entered through a different gate and never felt completely oriented as we searched for Regio V and the most recent excavations.
The Basilica
Casa dei Cornelli
Street worn by Chariot Wheels
Roman Fast Food Stall
We remembered many of the sites as we wandered from the Forum trying to get our bearings. Cobbled streets worn by chariot wheels, “fast food” stalls, grain grinding mills, bakeries, private houses and villas and colonnaded courtyards. By and by we found ourselves at Regio V, the most recently excavated area.
Giovanna, Pompeii Archeologist
Leda and the Swan, Mural in Regio V
House of Cecilio Giocondo
Giovanna, an archeologist/docent for Regio V, explained that our targets, Casa del Giordino and Casa del Orione could be visited but not today. Maybe tomorrow but we would have to have an invitation. Or maybe a special ticket. But there were other recent discoveries we could see nearby, like the mural of Leda and the Swan and the House of Cecilio Giocondo.
So much more to explore
When I joked that with all the excavation left to be done she certainly had job security, she said the problem isn’t with funding for the excavation, it’s more about curation. If they don’t have staff and funds to care for the finds, they are better left buried.
Can't see it from here!
Connie, ever hopeful, climbed and peeked trying to get even a glimpse of the newly discovered buildings. No dice. We would just have to return on another day.
