Back to this blog - Seeing the ancient sights of Pompeii

It's been a while since we were in Italy, but I haven't had much time to write or share what we did during our stay in January. I tried to write a brief week-long synopses, just in case, of what we did - but somehow, I feel like writing daily entries. I don't, for my own memory and prosperity. I don't even know how long these online weblogs will last - 5 years, 20, 50, 75? Hopefully by then, I will have been all over Italy!

Pompeii - January 3, 2006
Weather Forecast - 50s, light rain, off and on, but fortunately for us the rain didn't downpour until we were about to leave the site.



















Anyway, our first time to Pompeii... the story goes something like this: After waking up and having what would become our typical breakfast of packaged breads, clementines, fatty milk, and more dairy (cheese, yogurt, and chocolate) during our stay in the apartment - we made our way to the Circumvesuvania train and purchased our tickets to Pompeii (or Pompei in Italiano). From Sant'Agnello, the ride to Pompei-Scavi was about 30 minutes one way.
Once we got to Pompeii (exit Pompeii-Scavi), we decided to purchase the Campania ArteCard (CAC) instead of the single use admission. By purchasing the CAC (we bought the 3 day pass), my sister and I saved some money bacaused we went to several more places than we originally would have without the card. Our CAC helped offset the transportation and admission costs, but mostly transporation costs, especially after visiting museums and since we were not based in Naples. That being said, I think Pompeii was one of my favorite places we visitited.

It's just amazing to think of all the history there and that there are still remnants of that history.
You just have to walk around - I would recommend getting lost there - but if you don't want to, there are tour guides, walking tours, and an audio guide. We used our Rick Steves guide book and the pamphelt at the information desk, which were good enough for us. Then we started walking around. I can imagine how in the summer it can be extremely busy -- even in January, there were more people than I had expected (I had read online how "dead" it was during winter, but not really, I think those days are truly gone).















Anyway, we were greeted by friendly Italians and feral dogs.



















Yep, more feral dogs in Pompeii. Oh, and feral cats. Along with those house guests, we saw the House of Faun, the Amphitheater, old survivors, frescoes, and much more. A couple of places were closed off - but you could still peek through the barriers. I would definitely recommend going to Pompeii, even if you're not into ancient history.

Allot at least 3-5 hours if you're not into ancient history, a full day if you are!


Helpful Sites
Campania Transportation Information http://www.campaniatrasporti.it/orari/eng/index.asp
BBC Pompeii Program and History http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/pompeii/
Campania ArteCard http://www.campaniartecard.it/artecard.php