Planet BellPompeii – the Antidote for Art, City and Penis Fatigue
After two and a half weeks in Rome, Venice, Florence, and Naples, we were a little burned out. It is possible to see too much exquisite art; cities can wear you out. And you can only look at so many penises.
Penis #2231 seen in Italy.
Touring Pompeii on a drizzly, cool day in late November, we had the place to ourselves, save a few stray dogs (which we were “invited” not to touch by frequent signs) and a smattering of tourists. Pompeii is a peaceful, parklike place with areas of green and trees. It is far away from the maddeningly busy streets of Naples and the tourist hordes of Venice. In peak season or on a cruise ship day in summer, I bet a lava flow of tourists smothers the ruins. For us, it was tranquil and rejuvenating.
Too bad 2000 people had to die in order for us to get this experience.
Pompeii is a place we study in grade-school; seeing it in person was fascinating and thrilling. The city was buried in the ash and burning rock of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in A.D. 79. The Roman city was preserved while being destroyed, probably like Ozzie Osbourne’s liver (I can only imagine that man has pickled his organs with drugs and booze and that is why he is alive, despite being worse for wear).
Although we were amazed by the cities of Italy like Florence, you can only look at so much architecture, cathedrals and art before needing a break.
Like all Roman towns, there is the requisite stadium and two theaters. The theaters are in perfect condition and beautiful. Mosaics and painted walls are preserved inside houses. Columns and temples still stand, giving valuable information to the daily life of the city’s residents. There are even plaster casts of a group of people who were buried alive. They took refuge in a building before being buried in 15 feet of burning ash. I can think of more appealing ways to go out.
I have no tips for visiting Pompeii other than to just walk around and find things by chance. There is really no need for a plan. Although it is a large area, after about three hours of walking you can take it all in. I am sure a guide can give useful insight, but it isn’t necessary for enjoying the ruins.
And if you’ve spent any time in chaotic Naples or surrounded by the tourist armies of northern Italy, exploring Pompeii on your own and finding the peaceful corners (free of penises, I might add) might be exactly what you need.
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Pompeii Photo Tour
Click on any picture to open up a slideshow view
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I’d like to hear your comments.
Have you been to Pompeii?
Ever suffered from penis fatigue? (Don’t answer that. Never mind).
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Other European photo essays on Planet Bell
1. A Photo Tour of Istanbul, or Expect More Negative Posts in the Future
2. 10 Photos of a Stunning Santorini Sunset
3. A Photo Tour of Meteora – the Coolest Place in Greece you May Not Know About
4. Is Symi the Most Beautiful Small Town in the World?
You do get worn out by the nudes in Italy.
I know. I realize it is art, but at some point…
Now I know how women feel since 99% of nudity on TV is female. This is payback for men.
great photos 🙂 Viva Italia 🙂
Thank you for following and commenting. Have you been to Pompeii before?
yes I have been some years ago 🙂 enjoyed it 🙂
incredible photography
Thank you.
Becky said that she went she remembers a picture of a god weighing his penis. Did you not see this? Also, she said he didn’t compete with me.
I did not see that and if I had, I might have had to rethink the post. Plus, that might have been the last straw. I might have imploded after seeing one last penis.
I am sure that no god could compete with you.
Having seen this – really amazing although found Herculaneum also intriguing
Is Herculaneaum the other buried city like Pompeii? Next time, next time. I wish there was unlimited time and money to travel.
Beautiful pictures. This really is such an interesting area, I also climbed Mt. Vesuvius there, did you get a chance to do that, gorgeous views. Happy to relive this through you:)
We didn’t climb Vesuvius, but that would have been cool. We’ve done so much hiking that I think my legs may have rejected me if we’d have tried. Thanks for commenting.
It’s not like it’s active or anything so you didn’t miss a whole lot…looks like a crater 🙂
Pompeii for penis fatigue!? That is like the prime place for penises…or at least it was before it was destroyed…they still have a lot of pornographic stuff left over though.
There is evidently an area that now requires prior booking to see a house with pornographic art and penises. We are not great at prior planning and thus missed it. If there were other areas of penises, then we just totally missed it, which I am okay with 🙂
Haha yup u missed it. I think the thing u are referring to is at the museum in Naples which has a lot of artifacts from Pompeii. I know that kids under 18 need written permission to see it.
I guess one has to be European to be able too stand all the nudity! 🙂 I didn’t get sick of it 😉
Enjoyed the images – surprised that not many people there. I thought that some areas needed tidying as they looked rather tired but together with Herculaneum they are anamazing time capsule
Only you would compare Pompeii to Ozzie Osbourne. I like it.
Thank you. Glad I could make you happy.