Italian Inspiration - Part 1

Christina here and as I was lucky enough to go to Italy recently, it’s time for some more armchair travelling. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey as much as I did, albeit vicariously!

I was a little girl the first time I heard about Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. This tragic event really stuck in my mind and ever since then, I’ve wanted to go there, but I never had the opportunity until two weeks ago when my dream finally came true. Sometimes, when you’ve wished for something for a very long time, it turns out to be a disappointment. Not Pompeii though, or any of the other sites we visited! I was enchanted.

BTW, this wasn’t just a pleasure jaunt, it was for research purposes. For a while now, I’ve had a timeslip/dual time story brewing in my mind set against the backdrop of Vesuvius’ eruption. I’d already done quite a bit of reading on the subject, but there is only so much you can do with facts on a page. Actually visiting a place is invaluable, and so my husband and I set out on our fascinating journey.

We headed for Naples first, as we were using that as our base for a few days, and this proved to be perfect. The city is situated on one side of the Bay of Naples (which is roughly horseshoe-shaped), with the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii, as well as Mount Vesuvius, sort of in the middle and the town of Sorrento on the other side. Along the bay there is a train line, which makes it easy to get around – no car needed.

We started off with Pompeii, as that was the most crucial place for my story, and spent a day and a half walking around the ruins exploring. We began with a two-hour guided tour, just to see the most famous parts and because it’s handy to have a guide to answer questions. I immediately fell under the spell of the place – it’s quite simply awe-inspiring! First of all, it’s mind-boggling to think that you are walking in the footsteps of people who lived and died there 2000 years ago. Secondly, it really hits home how sophisticated and advanced the Romans were when you see this town. And also, it’s absolutely vast and if I hadn’t gone there, I don’t think I would have grasped quite how big it is. My feet and back were killing me after a day there so it was lucky we had the time to return for a while the following day.

What is left of Pompeii is mostly only the streets and ground floor of any buildings. Anything higher up was destroyed by the volcanic eruption, with a few exceptions. That means you have to use your imagination, but even without the second storeys, that’s not too difficult. Some taller things remain, like the small and large theatres, and the amphitheatre, and a few of the walls of ordinary buildings as well. I sat down in a theatre seat and tried to imagine watching a play there, although the guide told me I was in the wrong place – women and slaves had to sit up at the top and weren’t allowed in the good seats at the front. (Same in the amphitheatre – very unfair!).

The most important building for me to see was the so-called House of Menander (named after a Greek dramatist of that name whose portrait was found on the wall). My characters obviously have to live somewhere, and this house proved to be perfect for me to base a fictional dwelling on. All posh Roman houses had a street entrance that led into a huge room called an atrium. This was where visitors would be received and it would be sumptuously decorated with frescoes and mosaic floors to show off the family’s wealth and status. The atriums all seem to have had a large opening in the roof and below this was a small sunken pool called an impluvium where rainwater was collected. Even the houses that were almost completely gone still had traces of these pools so it was easy to see which buildings had been luxury homes.

All the inside walls were plastered, with frescoes painted straight onto them. The most common colours were deep red, ochre yellow and black, and our guide told us that if we saw any walls with green or blue in them, that would indicate the house’s owners were rich as those were more costly to make. Most of the walls were painted in panels with fake architectural details like columns, but there were also mythical scenes and still life depictions. I was amazed at how skilled the painters were – the results were incredibly life-like and beautifully done! (The one in this photo is from a different building, the so-called Villa dei Misteri).

Beyond the atrium was a peristyle garden – an open space surrounded by a colonnaded walkway with rooms leading off it. I could imagine my characters sitting there, relaxing in the shade, and enjoying the fresh breeze coming off the sea. (The sea shore came further inland at that time and there was a harbour just outside Pompeii).

The guided tour also included visits to one of the many public baths, as well as the Forum – the huge open square surrounded by temples and buildings, where a lot of commerce took place – and to numerous thermopolia (like fast food restaurants serving food over a counter like this one) and cauponae (inns or taverns that only served drinks). Last, but not least, we were taken to see the lupanare – the brothel. (The name comes from lupa = shewolf = prostitute). This is a tiny building with cubicles containing stone beds that looked extremely uncomfortable, and it’s become a tourist attraction because of the rather bawdy frescoes inside.

A highlight for me was seeing the amphitheatre, most of which is still intact. Walking through a dark tunnel, paved with worn lava stone, and into the sunlit arena really fired my imagination. I could see in my mind the gladiators lined up for their bouts, all wearing different helmets and carrying their weapons. And I could hear the roar of the crowd – all 15,000 of them, as that was apparently how many could fit there (possibly more). It must have been a real spectacle, but for the men in the spotlight it was a matter of life and death. Scary!

Despite the fact that the town was destroyed so long ago, I felt as if the ancient inhabitants were still there in the shadows. They had left a part of themselves behind in the form of their art, architecture and things like political slogans and messages written on the walls. In one place, there was graffiti in the shape of a drawing of a gladiator, clearly done by a child – so charming and unexpected. And of course, there were the plaster casts of bodies found buried in the ashes. Those were poignant and moving, and made it really sink in what a massive tragedy the eruption caused. It’s estimated that Pompeii had a population of about 25,000, and out of those 10,000 died. That is a very sobering fact.

After visiting the ruins, of course we had to go and take a closer look at the cause of all the trouble – Mount Vesuvius itself. It is possible to go up to the top, but it involves quite a bit of effort. First you have to take a bus as far up the slope as the roads go (and how the driver managed to get a huge bus up there, I have no idea as the road was narrow with blind hairpin bends!). From there, you walk up a rather steep path, which proved challenging to a couch potato like me. It took me ages, wheezing and stopping every so often, but it was definitely worth it.

The views from the top out over the Bay of Naples and the surrounding area were out of this world, and on the other side is the crater of the (supposedly “quiescent” according to the signs) volcano. I have to admit to a few tingles of fear at the thought that it could potentially erupt, but luckily we didn’t feel so much as a small earth tremor. The only sign of life was a fumarole, puffs of smoke coming out of the side of the crater. Although it was an amazing experience, I was quite glad to get off the mountain!

That’s all for now – I’ll continue the journey in my next post.

Have you been to Pompeii or some other ruin or ancient site that you felt was really moving? I’d love to hear about it!

Comments

[TexasGal]

I don't believe in ghosts, but there is the eerie sense of spirits somehow being present throughout Pompeii. It is one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited. Some years ago, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts had a blockbuster show featuring treasures and artifacts from Pompeii. Among the items on display was a cast of the body of a young woman that was done in some transparent plastic material instead of the usual plaster. On her wrist was a wide gold and emerald bracelet. I cannot describe the sadness I felt when I saw her image then, or how I still feel when I think about it today.

[Christina Courtenay]

I totally agree - I felt that too! And those plaster casts were extremely moving. It's hard not to be affected when you reflect on the immense tragedy! That show at the museum sounds fantastic.

[Donna H.]

I remember back in about Grade 5, our teacher read us a book about a blind boy and his dog who lived in Pompeii and ever since then I have been fascinated by the town and all the documentaries about it. I will certainly look forward to reading your book!!

I don't know if there is such a thing about re-incarnation but I certainly feel a shiver when Pompeii is mentioned and I feel immense sadness when I think of it. The dog saved the boy by the way - he guided him out of the city before the eruption!

[Kareni]

Donna H: that might be The Dog of Pompeii by Louis Untermeyer if it was a story rather than a book.

Christina: thank you for sharing your travels with us. My daughter had a wonderful time at Pompeii when she traveled there with her high school Latin teacher and some fellow Latin students.

[Annette N]

Thank you so much for the post and the pictures. I think your descriptions and your pictures have come closest to making me realize the size of the disaster and the terrible results of the eruption. Reading about it is one thing but seeing what obviously was a vibrant city is another.

Hope everyone is happy.

[Christina Courtenay]

That sounds like a great story, Donna! I would like to believe in re-incarnation - it's a lovely concept. Pompeii is just the sort of place where you can imagine souls lingering though, just waiting in the shadows. It's awesome!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Kareni, I'll check that out. And I'm so glad your daughter got to visit Pompeii. It is definitely a unique place and well worth seeing!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Annette, I'm glad that's how it came across! It really was very poignant standing there among the ruins and thinking about what happened all those years ago. It felt very real! Hope all is well with you!

[Lola Gaunt]

Your speaking of ghosts reminded me of when hubby and I went to Texas on a BBS convention. On Sunday morning we visited the Alamo, light rain/mist and the ghosts were out that day for both of us. Never will forget that trip.

[Christina Courtenay]

Whoa, that sounds really spooky, Lola! A memorable trip indeed.

[Laura Lee Hall]

I was lucky enough to take a trip to Pompeii after graduating from high school with a school group. My Mom, who had instilled in me a love for archaeology, was one of the chaperones so we got to experience it together. The body castings were so poignant! It was the first time I really experienced death of any sort. It looks like they've done much more work on it since 1969 and I would love to visit it again. I remember there being one house the young girl students were not allowed to enter. We asked the boys later what was there we couldn't see. It was a statue of priapus. I guess the tour guide thought we were too innocent to deal with it.

[Christina Courtenay]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time there and it’s lovely you got to see it with your mother. Some of the houses weren’t open to the public so I didn’t see Priapus either but there were lots of amazing sights!

[Karin]

Your pictures of Pompeii are beautiful, and have made me want to go there! Those wall frescoes are amazing! I have seen some big Roman amphitheatres in other places, like Rome and Amman, Jordan. Quite impressive.

[Janet Murdoch]

The closest I've been to something like Pompeii is Bath, in England. Went there several times about 50 years ago and absolutely loved it. Back then you could still tour inside and sit where Romans had rested. The stones were smooth and worn and I can still remember the thrill I felt as I sat there! We are going to Europe in June and will visit Naples but have decided not to make the journey to Pompeii. Now I am old I feel it might be just too sad for me. My imagination is sometimes just too good. Thanks for the awesome post and making me feel even more excited about finally getting to Italy!

[Marilyn Forsyth]

Thanks so much for this post, Christina! Some years ago I was lucky enough to finally gat to Pompeii; it had been on my to-visit wish list since I was a child. Your post brought back so many memories of this wonderful, evocative place. It definitely has the power to transport you into the past, doesn't it? We climbed Mt Vesuvius, too, and it was so totally worth every puff, pant and wheeze to do it.

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you, Karin, I'm glad you enjoyed them! Roman buildings are so impressive, aren't they - it's hard to believe they were made so long ago. And amphitheatres really give you a feeling of awe - just incredible!

[Christina Courtenay]

That's very exciting, Janet, and I hope you have a wonderful trip! I love going to Bath and always try to visit the Roman baths whenever I'm there. It's amazing that they are still there and as you say, being able to sit where they sat is very special. Enjoy your holiday!

[Christina Courtenay]

Thank you and I'm so pleased you enjoyed it too, Marilyn! It really was worth it and I feel very grateful to have been to both those places.