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Day 3 - The cities buried in ash4/28/2018 The jet lag induced sleeplessness and the ache in my legs from the previous days walk were real this morning. Nevertheless, after an incredible breakfast, we were off to the highlight of the day; the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The cities buried in ash. Getting dropped off at the gates to the city of Pompeii, we were introduced to the first victims of Vesuvius' rage when it erupted in 79 AD. Citizens of Pompeii likely burned alive encased in a layer of ash that suffocated them and cooled down to solidify. After archeologists discovered the remains, plaster was poured into the holes of the remains to show an exact snapshot of the reactions in their last moments. The sight was quite fearful. This was one of those times I chose not to take pictures of what was going on in front of me. Whether it was the horror in the body language of the writhing corpses or the fact that their bones were exposed, showing the reality that this was once a human being that had real emotions and thoughts and was now a piece of art for tourists to take pictures of. Regardless, I observed the spectacle of pain in display in front of me with a curios mix of awe and shock. The cobblestone paved roads led us into the start of the tour; the amphitheater of Pompeii. Standing in the middle of the amphitheater was an intimidating experience, I looked around at the stadium that once boasted a crowds of 20,000 people that came to watch numerous spectacles in this location. I looked at the gates through which the gladiators that had fought and trained for years would walk out to face their foe of the evening. I looked at the sand below me and wondered how much blood was spilt on this spot? How many bones were crushed? How many bodies were dismembered? Shaking off the chill that crawled up my spine, we continued down the Via dell'Abbondanza toward the forum. The streets of Pompeii told numerous tales of life in early Roman civilization. These tales were preserved beautifully, and tragically, in the ash that cloud that had engulfed the city. From the stores to the villas that occupied the streets and from the signs to the political graffiti that adorned the walls, Pompeii truly was a city preserved in time. I was unable to give my presentation on Pompeii and its layout at the forum but it was affirming to witness the houses and temples I researched in front of me. Places like the Temple of Jupiter, the Villa of Mysteries, the Forum of Pompeii and the Villa of the Tragic Poet were some of these buildings where history was preserved in a timeless manner us the ability to deduce the ways of Ancient Roman life. Come night, after our return from the ancient cities, a few of us delved into some wine and Naples' pizza one last time. Despite the elementary grade Italian we had on us combined, we got through yet another interaction with the local townspeople at this restaurant. After some gelato we decided to roam the streets of Naples before our departure the next day, taking in as much of the city as we could. We made some unique observations. Firstly, we had dinner at around 7:30 in a completely empty restaurant which puzzled us. Little did we know, Italians ate their dinner at a much later time than the we did; usually around 9:30 to 10pm. These quiet restaurants started roaring with life later at night with packed tables all eating and drinking in laughter and celebration. On a quest to find some local wine, we also discovered that most stores closed around 10pm too, which we found strange. Soon we discovered the Italian passion for football (real football aka soccer). Inter Milan was playing Juventus and this was the only thing broadcasted in all TVs and heard on all radios across the strip, with neither team being a Naples native team. It must have been an appreciation for Inter Milan or hate for Juventus because as soon as Inter scored their first goal, the city erupted. There was cheering and screaming, people running around and hugging each other and wine bottles being popped in celebration. It took all of us by such shock, the happy kind of shock that is. It was like the city just won the Superbowl, but it wasn't even a local team and it was just one goal scored. When Juventus retaliated with their goal, the city was in rage and horns started blaring everywhere for a good 5 minutes. This is a city I wanted to live in; a city with this much love for sports. There was one giant comparison I kept making between life here in Naples (and even early Pompeii) and life back home and that was the social culture and how this society thrived on interactions as opposed to isolation. We live in a world where technology has made us more and more isolated, trapped in our own little bubbles. It isn't the architecture or the art we are missing back home, it’s the unwillingness to get out of our sheltered lives. The Italians embraced the social lives they lived in. Even early architecture depicted how early Greeks would start of the day and end the day at the public forum, indulging in conversation and communal meals. Somehow we as a society started to fail to understand the positive impact of this easygoing lifestyle and choose the secluded life. It's going to be very interesting to discover what this might look like when we head to Rome tomorrow.
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