Having previously cased out the parking at Herculaneum Dan knew perfectly where to park and all was smooth sailing. Several busloads of grey-hairs were arriving at the site just as we entered. At first we were held up like Mr Bean on the stairs. Eventually we managed to dance around them as we could traverse the grounds at our own discretion, once again between intermittent rain showers.
Herculaneum is a lesser known town buried during the same eruption as Pompeii. It was a popular seaside destination for the wealthy, and due to it’s particular distance from Vesuvius ended up better preserved, with even some multi-story homes surviving. The ash buried much of the town before the scorching lava arrived so in some cases wooden structures were protected and survived. Surprisingly a huge set of wooden doors remained, as well as carbonized wood railings and in the lintels of several buildings.
Many of the homes here were spectacular with detailed mosaic tile floors and walls. The frescos in numerous instances were well preserved. Although there was no coliseum in Herculaneum, and the theatre was as yet unexcavated, there were many shops. The lunch counters and bars even had their marble counter tops intact. Typically establishments were multi-story buildings with the owner living in the stories above the shop.
The gender specific public baths here were very ornate also, again with modern day style change rooms with cubicles, and 3 temperature options of bath – cool, warm and hot. The heating system was most impressive with ‘boiler rooms’ and multi-layered floors for heating.
As a stark reminder of the tragedy, the seaside port warehouses were full of skeletons. Families huddled together having collected their valuables in hopes of escaping the disaster. The caves, only discovered in 1982, are now mass graves where approx. 300 people, both rich and poor together, had unsuccessfully tried to shelter from the eruption only to be overcome by the extreme heat and toxic fumes.
The modern city is now built right on top of the ruins and there are certainly more buildings under the houses adjacent to the site. Only a small portion of the site has been excavated due to budgetary restrictions. As you leave the excavated area, you can look back from elevation and see the modern city abutting and overlaying the ancient town. A small museum adjacent to Herculaneum had some of the on display, but the majority had been moved to Napoli – tomorrows destination.
After the visit we were hoping for some pizza back at the ’emergency stop’ spot we had found previously on our parking spot hunt. After a very lengthy walk we discovered it closed! So we headed back to Pompeii and had pizza there. Afterwards we ventured into the Pompeii chapel. It was a very lovely surprise and much more elaborate than its exterior revealed.
Back home we had time for some traditional euchre and laundry – even the mundane routines must continue!
