It’s about time I get around to writing about Pompeii! Do not fall for the viator or “skip the line” bullshit. The tickets at the entry are 11euro and from the time Pompeii opens until it closes, you are free to walk through the entire city in whichever direction you want. Sometimes that’s the best thing about touring certain sites in certain countries.

When I was living in Italy they also had an added perk that on the first Sunday of every month, there was free entry. Although, starting in November during the winter time frame they shorten their hours and won’t let anyone in after something like 1pm, so make sure to go early in the morning if you are visiting then.

Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD covering the city and its inhabitants in pumice and volcanic ash and for quite some time the city lay covered and forgotten. Then, in 1748 excavations began and it was relatively easy to uncover the city because the ash was not hard and compact.

Many artifacts were brought to Naples where they remain in different museums today.

We’re just going to walk through some of the ruins here but this is a pretty vast area and we definitely did not have time to follow all of the rabbit holes in one afternoon. So if you are planning a visit, make sure to get a map at the front desk (or hire a guide if you wish), and set off in whichever direction you choose.

When you first walk into the city you can walk down into the Basilica and when you leave there and walk along the fence line you can poke your head and see this beautiful area.

The ruins are relatively intact. Even famous statues were uncovered during excavations and pieced back together or restored by famous artists.

The interesting part about walking around Pompeii is that you are actually walking down city streets because the walls rise up at least 6 feet tall in most places. I guess I was expecting the ruins to be much smaller but rooms and roads are evident when you walk through.

See what I mean, this was a house and some of the walls to reach over 10 feet when you are standing inside of it. Can you find the two people in the photo? I’m one of them!

As you walk out into the city center, you can see there is plenty of room for events and you can see some of the larger buildings and the ruins that are here.

The scale of Pompeii, was definitely something I was unprepared for. It actually looks like full city.

There seem to be quite a few people in this area, but it wasn’t very crowded. This was in March, just before all of the tourists will start come for the summer season.
In the city center, there are areas set up where you can see some of the people and artifacts that were recovered during excavations.

Two people intertwined amidst pottery, tables, and other items excavated from the city.

Shelves and shelves of pottery. So many different items found from times past.

Another thing I love about Europe is that they are not afraid to show dead people in a historical context. There is no political correctness needed. This is not offensive. It’s historical.

Leaving the city center we walked down some back alleyways and explored a bit more.

Then decided it was time to find the brothel.

Looking down a few side streets. The map was hard to follow sometimes because it was hard to tell which road you were actually on even though the corners are supposed to be numbered.

Eventually, we saw a group of students and followed them to the brothel.

There were these nice paintings on the walls

I mean really nice paintings.

Don’t forget this one!

I tried my luck. Miguel wouldn’t agree to my terms and conditions, unfortunately. haha.

By this time we were all getting pretty hungry so we walked back towards the way we’d come. Although it is easy to get lost in this city.

Wow, these columns are still standing and in tact.

Steps that lead up into someones house.

Miguel was trying to tell us about this mosaic. It was a good time to run in the other direction before he could notice!

Back in the new(er) city center of Pompeii we decided to look up a restaurant for lunch and drive down the road to it.

I, unfortunately, forgot the name of the restaurant because it’s been awhile, but the owner was the sweetest old man and he made us fresh food. He even showed us how fresh it was!

By the end of lunch, we were completely and happily stuffed and headed back to Naples.

This article first appeared on The Cassey Excursion.