How’s that for an opening photo?

Many moons ago, I saw Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii , and just knew I’d end up there some day, fascinated by this ancient city partly destroyed, partly preserved by Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption on August 24, AD 79. AD 79! 

Sorry history buffs and archeology lovers, but for me Pompeii was a bit of a bust. Oh it was interesting, and if you’re into ancient civilizations, this makes for a nice day; however, as far as ruins go, this isn’t sooo impressive. There is too much modern-human intervention: sculptures (as seen above), chain-link fences around many areas, a museum in the center of the amphitheater where Pink Floyd once jammed, a café and bathrooms built within those ancient walls!

When I went to Machu Picchu, we had to exit the park to use a bathroom or get a snack. Despite sections under restoration and tourists everywhere, Angkor Wat still felt very much “untouched.” But Pompeii was just too integrated for my taste…I know that many would disagree.

A photograph is able to shift perception however, so behold, an ancient, untouched city:

That last one was simply based on patience, on waiting for a few tourists to get out of the way so I could capture the city’s smaller amphitheater.

If you too have made it a goal to go, I highly recommend hiring a guide. Apart from having a clearer idea of its history, a guide will help you navigate this fairly large city. We opted out of a guide, deciding to go at our own pace with a good map, and found ourselves stumped several times as to where we were and how to get to where we wanted to go because nothing is very well marked.

Getting to and from is quite easy, an hour’s ride to/from Naples on the Circumvesuviana Train. Overall, I truly am glad we went, but will definitely skip it on our next trip to the marvelous Amalfi Coast. More to come on that, so stay tuned!