Location: Pompei, Italy

:the buried city

this past Thursday we traveled to Pompei, Italy. it was amazing to learn about the history and life of those who once inhabited the town in Naples. instead of boring you with the entire history of Pompei, i found a site with the 5 things i thought to be most amusing while i was given my guided tour through the Roman streets.
Pompei: the Last Day : great movie that is frequently on the Discovery Channel giving a realistic idea of what really happened. look up times online or buy it here.
Official Pompei Website

{5 Interesting Facts about Pompei, Italy}

Vanished and forgotten, the walled city of Pompeii in Naples, Italy was accidentally discovered 1,669 years after the eruption of its neighboring volcano, Mount Vesuvius, on the 24th of August 79AD. Pompeii’s awful ordeal left at least 2000 people trapped and without a choice but to silently accept their imminent demise. At present, the 150-acre city of Pompei is one of the world’s largest archaeological excavation sites, side-by-side with modern amenities such as pubs, bars, restaurants, tourist facilities, and flourishing commercial areas. Read on and get in-depth with more interesting facts about the lost ruins of Pompeii and the modern city of Pompei below.

1. Life in Pompeii

So what’s it like to live in the past? Top archaeologists and experts of the historic excavation site are still baffled. There are lots of artifacts still needed to be analyzed to somehow depict a story or a scene which can show how everyday domestic living went in Pompeii. But the huge villas, with its walls and floors decorated with intricately designed mosaics; the Thasian dolomitic marbles that line up the bars and bath houses; and a sophisticated water, drainage, and sewage system for public and private use provides us an idea that people in Pompeii lived in a very comfortable manner and sheer opulence during their time.

2. Sealed Through Time

The remains of Pompeii are so incredibly well-preserved that you could walk around and see the Greek-inspired buildings such as residences, water fountains, commercial establishments, brothels, and an amphitheater; standing erect along the deserted cobble-stoned streets where the city’s ill-fated inhabitants used to walk through. People and their pet animals, eternally captured till their last breath in plaster casts are also found in the area. You can almost feel the impression of how sad and scared they must have been at the face of certain death.

3. Brothel in Pompei Re-opens

Don’t get the wrong idea here but the Lupanare, an ancient brothel in Pompeii is back in business- as a tourist destination that is! Ready to serve curious travelers, the fascinating 2-story brothel in the middle of Pompeii reveals signs of the open and systematic flesh trade in those times. Erotic Frescoes found at the walls of the rooms set the ambiance. Even more, names of the women who worked there, their “special talents” to please their clients, and prices of services are etched on the brothel’s walls.

4. Mother Nature Joins the War

While the Second World War was happening all across Europe, American airmen stationed at the Pompeii airfield caught a glimpse of the last known eruption of Mount Vesuvius. At least 2 feet of volcanic ash and football-sized rocks blanketed the area. Army tents, military equipments, and 88 aircrafts have also been severely destroyed.

5. The Santuario

Off to the past and on to the present! Not far from the Pompeii ruins, most tourists in Pompei often miss visiting the Santuario or the Shrine of Madonna del Rosario, a church built in 1876. The whole structure is shaped like a Latin cross which is dominated by a 53-meter high dome in the center. The church altar features theshroud of Madonna di Pompei in a bronze frame encrusted with gems. But the real attraction here is the 80-meter bell tower, the top easily accessible by an elevator where you can get a breath-taking view of Pompei and the surrounding area of Naples.

Mount Vesuvius

Pompei citizen praying.

Most famous cast. Pomepi dog.

Stepping stones. In the street they would
place these in the street to walk across
because the streets were always wet.

Brittany and I: Roman Forum

Group Shot: Roman Forum

Inside the Roman Forum

Street Shot of Shops and Homes

Fresco

Pompei was very open when it came to sexuality. When men would return from long voyages or sailors would stop at Pompei the only thing on their minds was fueling their "love machines".

In the stone road, a phallic symbol,
pointing in the direction of a Brothel.

"Bed" in the 2 story brothel.
Notice they didn't look comfortable. Why?
Because brothels were meant to be
places to, "get in and get out."

Frescos like this are on the brothel walls.
They serve as a 'menu.' Just like McDonald's
has pictures for what they serve, so did these houses.

{Montecassino Abbey}

:on our way home from Pompei we stopped at St. Benedict's monestery.

:Official Montwcassino Website

Montecassino (also spelled Monte Cassino), a small town about 80 miles south of Rome, is the home of the sacred relics and monastery of St. Benedict (480-543), the patron saint of Europe and the founder of western monasticism.

Since its founding by St. Benedict in 529 AD, Montecassino Monastery has had a troubled history, suffering from repeated attacks, pillage, and natural disasters. Most recently, it was the site of a terrible battle during World War II that resulted in great loss of life and complete destruction of the monastic buildings.

Despite its significant and frequent setbacks, the monastery has always been rebuilt and the relics of Saints Benedict and Scholastica have survived through all the turmoil. The building that stands today was constructed after 1944 using the old plans.

::History::

St. Benedict was born to a noble family in Nursia, a small town near Spoleto, around 480 AD. He did not set out to be a great monastic leader, wishing instead to live a quiet and contemplative life as a hermit.

As a young man, Benedict established himself in a small cave 50 miles from Rome in Subiaco. His plans for solitude were not to be, however. Disciples were soon attracted to him, and he became well known for his pious character, wise teachings and ability to work miracles.

Benedict moved to Montecassino in 528, where he remained the rest of his life. Here he wrote his Rule, a set of guidelines for laymen wishing to live a spiritual life pleasing to God. The Rule of St. Benedict would become the pattern for monastic rules across medieval Europe.

Upon his death in 543, he was buried in a tomb with his sister, St. Scholastica. The monastery was sacked by the Lombards not long after Benedict's death, but it was soon rebuilt. By the 11th century, Montecassino had become the wealthiest monastery in the world.

In World War II, the hill of Monte Cassino was part of a German defensive line guarding the approaches to Rome. Montecassino became the target of assault after assault by Allied troops, and was finally destroyed by air bombardment. The hill was captured at dreadful loss of life by the Polish Army and Italian refugees. After the war, the abbey was rebuilt based on the original plans.

Today, Montecassino is a working monastery and continues to be a pilgrimage site by virtue of the suriviving relics of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. It is also a popular tourist destination for its historical importance and its attractive buildings.

::What to See::

Rebuilt in the 1940s, Montecassino Abbey sits atop a large hill, below which lies the city of Cassino. A vast Polish war cemetery covers a hillside across the valley, which can be easily seen from the abbey.

The basilica, richly decorated in stucco and mosaics, enshrines the relics of St. Benedict and his sister, St. Scholastica, which survived the bombings.

The abbey museum displays medieval art and artifacts from the monastery and explains the history of monasticism. The monastic church, the main destination for pilgrims, features an urn under the high altar containing the relics of Benedict and Scholastica.