Finally! I found the location for my restaurant!!
Driving out of Napoli was MUCH easier than getting into it – but nevertheless, once we wound around the town, had a brief stint on the autostrada and then found ourselves back on old, narrow streets . . it was like “wah-la” – we’re here! We pull into Camping Spartacus for parking right across from the entrance to Pompeii. We find it a bit strange that this magnificent historical site is completely surrounded by apartments & houses on one side and tourist & refreshment stands blocking the view to the sea (which is right across the street) on the other.
The ticket seller tells us if we have limited time to just concentrate on zones 1 (the baths), 7 (some religious areas & the center of city government) and 8 (some really nice villas and a couple of religious areas). There are 9 zones in all – and we end of hitting 7 of the 9. As we wonder through the main piazza (very magnificent) we are impressed at the sophistication of this place and how complete of a city it was in terms of architecture, business, government & social structure – as well as beautiful works of art, so much practicality (washing streets to clear out animal dung), stunning parks and beauty (yes, it was quite colorful in its day).
As we continue into Zone 2, we are overwhelmed by this HIGH RENT district. . the homes are MAGNIFICENT. Huge porticos for entry, many rooms, incredible & intricate tile floors, frescos on every wall, inside gardens & water collection methods, and huge outdoor patios & gardens that are impressive size for any urban area (modern or ancient). There are Spring flowers & vines everywhere and the fruit trees are heavy with citrus; they are beautiful and impressive indeed!
Sherine chooses her favorite and says she wants to live here. I find the restaurant of my dreams!! Yes, this area housed a number of large homes that had shops & restaurants in front of their personal spaces – kind of an ancient “multi-use” commercial / residential set-up (these Romans were SO smart . . before you jump down my throat for not referring to them as Pompeiians – note that Rome had Pompeii built for their own “pleasure” – and I know you’ve heard of all the types of “pleasure” they had here!)
Anyway – the first home I see with beautiful marble counters with holes in them – there’s a sign that says these were thought to be for separating & storing money. But – Sherine finds another sign that talks about how these holes were used for holding food – for restaurants. They had covers (which were gone at this point of course) so could be used for either hot or cold food and the marble would keep them sort of insulated. I start thinking that this would be the best set-up for me. I could make different dishes everyday based on my whims & the season and serve the hungry workers when they took their afternoon break from work. The counters were beautiful and the location was perfect – right on the street. You know what they say about choosing a spot for a restaurant . . location, location, location! Perfetto!! (of course, they need a little updating BUT the foot traffic is still very much there!!)
Over the past 30 years or so, many contemporary artists have been commissioned to do sculptures to replace many of the works of art that have been destroyed or pillaged. These are for the most part, made of bronze, so they really do blend in well with the antiquities. Many of the photographs we took showcase these works of art – in fact the cover shot of the foot / leg on this post is one of those statues.
All in all – an awesome day. It wasn’t very crowded and only about 60 degrees. I’m sorry that the pictures only give you a glimpse of this incredible city. If you ever have the chance, you have to come & see it. Note to all – they have left about 30% of the city covered and unexcavated. The archeologists wanted to be sure that as the exposed parts deteriorate that there are still parts left for future generations to see. It was mind-blowing to see how large this city was (even with the 30% still uncovered). I can only imagine how vibrant & impressive Pompeii would have been in its heyday.
Note to Ivania – after sharing your impressions of your trip to Pompeii, I was actively looking for the phallic symbols that you said you saw everywhere. We must have hit different areas, because other than at the baths (where I did see some quite risqué pictures) I didn’t see a one. As we were walking back to the car, just before the main piazza, I looked down and saw this. I laughed, took this picture and thought of you! Wish you were here!! 😊
