Herculaneum is the name for the ancient town at the base of Mt. Vesuvius, which is only 1.5 miles away.
On the photograph draw an imaginary line from the left slope and the right slope to center, and it is easy to see the source of the millions of tons of pumice, pyroclastic flow, rock, and magma that permanently erased evidence of the cities surrounding this region. Herculaneum was built adjacent to the seaside, yet, after the eruption, it was buried up to 60 feet, plus the coastline then was moved/extended 1900 feet from the ocean side city into the bay.. It was a miracle it was ever discovered. Only one fifth has been unearthed, the rest is covered by a more modern, though run down, city. The unfortunate rich, RICH Romans that occupied this city probably all perished, save a few who escaped on boats. The rest? Their bodies and craniums literally exploded when a 1000 degree heat shock wave hit. Up to 300 bodies were discovered at the docks, many adorned with expensive jewelry.
The women’s spa and tub
One of the amazing villas
Like my father always said, all the money in the world will not prevent death.
How quickly and efficiently that Mother Earth can erase civilization, including our own.
Some times you just “gotta go”
(Day 5 afternoon version)
Mitch had an afternoon swim. We had a nice afternoon tour of the waterfront. Some of the swimsuits were attention grabbers. G strings with bare cheeks, Speedos (some with big barrel belly overhangs), the other “oh ohs!”, and more standard wear was evident.
Nobody swims for free, you have to pay to play on the coast here!
Jet lag only a memory for last two days.Somehow, Mitch remembered (or his mother reminded him) that I used to wear Speedos, and he gave me a bad time.
Mitch gave me a bad time about the Speedo I wore in Spain in 1999 when we visited him and the family there. I was a top tier athlete then; and I “rocked them”.! Of course, they look silly now. Anyway, I held back, and went easy on his good look!
We are feeling the ENERGY of Sorento, Italy, and LOVING IT!.
Capri tomorrow!!
This tour just cannot get any better.
