Naples 9th June 2010
Went to Pompeii today – one of those must-do-must-see's. I may be a total Philistine, but I really think that, especially when there is such an abundance of old stones and ruins, there is a case to be made for reconstruction of a bit of it, yes, maybe Chinese style, but even so .... Pompeii may be a priceless archeological treasure and very interesting, but, if you are brutally honest, what can you really see? All the frescoes and mosaics – bar a few piddly ones – have been taken elsewhere; I really enjoyed the frescoes in the Museo Archeologico in Naples and all there is left on site, are crumbling, unpainted, stone walls and a few pillars. I did manage to escape the tourist groups though and find a few houses where something had been left, including the skeletons of the inhabitants. It's hard to escape the notion that this is not only a place where people lived but, much more, a place where people died.
I went on the little train from Naples, thinking there might be views of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. Yes, there were, but they are thoroughly spoilt by horrible concrete blocks of flats, most not even painted. Some are painted, but very dirty and all are festooned with washing. Unkept wasteland spoils the beautiful lemongroves and lovely flowers: purple bougainvillea, red hibiscus, yellow broom and there are overhead cables and TV aerial everywhere. China yet again springs to mind, where I never managed to take a photo without a cable in it. I remember many years ago, when I passed through Naples on the way back up from Sicily, being surprised at how ugly the surrounding area was... Vesuvius itself was clouded up top. He's smaller than you think, blew his own top off in one of his explosive rages.
I enjoyed my day though, it was lovely and warm and I quite like these 'realities', but you can guess I gave Herculaneum a miss. I have seen quite a few ruins of Roman cities in my life ....