Road Trip

I told you it’s unbelievable, some of the things found there illustrated also how wealthy the city was and how the Romans have given the city a little touch here and there. Look at the roads and their sidewalks.

Wake up!! We are going to Pompeii! What is that? Seriously? It is a wonderful archeological site and possibly the remains of one of the most catastrophic volcano eruptions of history.

Seriously you have never heard of them?? I can’t believe it… look I did some research and trust if I tell you the trip will be amazing, so get off that bed and pack some water cause were going!!!

I get it you would rather be in bed, but once you see where were going you will realize what I am talking about. Let’s do this . . . While we drive I will give you a little history of the city and the destruction that fell on it.

The city was a well know active city of the Roman Empire. It was a wealthy city and many villas were in this place. There is reason to believe that it was full of summer residences for judges and senators of the Roman Empire. The city was well drained and perfectly built. The road system is unreal just wait to see it.

Anyway the city was in the middle of a festivity well renown in the empire, when unexpectedly the mountain that was close to them exploded. That was Mount Vesuvius, which is not a mountain but a volcano that after exploding unleashed a gigantic cloud made of ash, rocks and mud. Many of the citizens admired the view and others ran in panic screaming that the gods were out to get them.  Many paintings were done and many things have been written about this destructive eruption. Look at this picture:  

You can see the biblical image placed in the picture, because later on the Catholic Church described the catastrophe as a ratification of god because of their “bad habits.” What do I mean by that? Well let’s say they knew how to through a party and let’s leave it at that.

For this there are documents that prove the city was founded before the 18^th century (when on the record was first found) because of the sexual images found in the villas they opted to cover everything up again. Just like they turned the pantheon, in Rome, into a church because they didn’t like the images of nudity in the structure.

Did they know it was a volcano? Well they knew that something was different about this mountain but its not that they could Google it or something. The mountain was very fertile and did not erupt for a long time, so they thought it was cool and then it erupted. Just like mount St. Helen in the U.S.A., with the explosion part of the peek came with it.

The big cloud of ash rocks and extreme high temperature hit the city and suffocated and cooked anything that was alive and buried the town for centuries. The cloud killed 16000 people and preserved their bodies in a way that still today we are able to determine their face figures. No I’m not lying!!!!!!! Look at this picture and be amazed grasshopper:

The sidewalks were so tall because of the rainy season, so they did not need to walk in to the water; the big stones in the middle of the road were their crosswalks. 

  Isn’t that amazing??

Why is Vesuvius there?? Well it’s not somebody placed it there. Well for what I know the explanation is not easy but in a few words is like this. Mount Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of the two plates African and Eurasian. This subduction zone stretches the length of the Mediterranean peninsula. It’s the reason of all the earthquakes we have gotten in our history, and it’s also the source of other volcanoes like Mount Etna, the Phlegraean Fields and Stromboli.

I know that the other ones are not as dangerous in Italy that had great eruptions, but since we are not that bright we decided to build 2 cities under it. Even now, that we are aware of the possible destruction of the volcano, we have built houses under the volcano, and trust me if that thing goes off again, they in deep dodo.

Now that I think about it what day is it today? Sunday? Oops the archeological museum is closed today. Calm down.  Let’s go eat some pizza. This place is famous for that too. I’m sure Mount Vesuvius won’t erupt today, fingers crossed.