Tuesday, november 28, 2023
It is pouring outside, the rain comes down in buckets. It slashes against the windows and the cars moving through the night are splashing through the puddles on the road in front of our appartment.
Wonderful to be lying in bed - warm, dry. I turn around and go back to sleep.
When morning shows a pale light through the clouds, it still rains, but much less. A strong wind still throws it against the windows as we prepare breakfast and start planning the days ahead.
Soon we are outside and on our way to the train station. We have coats with hoods and umbrellas, but there is only an occasional spit of water.
At the station we get tickets and shortly a completely graffiti covered train enters the dilapidated station. Other travelers confirm it is the right train and within minutes the steady ka-dang accompanies us from station to station.
In Torre Annunziata we change. Friendly people help us find the right platform.
I do notice that people here dress differently than the Dutch. I am dressed in a blue jacket, Sisi in pastel green. All around us are primarily black coats and jackets. A daring girl may go for white, but there is not a single red, pink, green or other blue jacket. I am sure we very much stand out, even though we may not realize it ourselves.
And just a general remark on the surroundings, most houses and buildings look dilapidated, derelict. Pieces of plaster have fallen off, paint has gone, metal is rusty. And at ground level there is graffiti everywhere. Roads have puddles. Things like graffiti repelling paint or pervious asphalt (to let the water through immediately) are either unknown or unaffordable here. I think both.
When we arrive in Ercolano we help two elder American men by confirming the train station and later in town to find the archeological site. They are from Florida and Google maps doesn’t bring us to the site, but to a traffic circle. I ask locals a few times and they point out the way for us. Under a steady drizzle we enter the entrance building.
Now the main difference between Pompeii and Herculaneum is that after being covered by ash, Herculaneum was subsequently covered by lava. This lava layer prevented any further decay, so in Herculaneum remnants of wood and organic components have been found.
It was discovered by accident. Somebody was digging a well and found pieces of marble in the 1700’s.
When the news reached a powerful man, he ordered tunnels to be dug and the first artifacts were brought out from the tunnels.
To my surprise I read that the site was basically not maintained until around 2000. By then a third was inaccessible because of danger of collapse. Now, with money from abroad structural repair is underway.
Herculaneum itself is fairly similar to Pompeii. Houses tend to be higher, streets a bit narrower. Here also are some beautiful painted walls that survived. Also some statues.
The most precious ones are in the Archeological museum in Naples, we also hope to visit on this trip.
After our visit we eat a sandwich on a small terrace of the entrance building. There are virtually no visitors. It rains and the wind blows over the Gulf of Naples. I love the smell of the sea and of the wet earth. If I stand up I see the white waves rolling to the shore.
On the other side is the modern city of Herculaneum, higher up on the land. We all know there is an ancient city below it. Well protected from the rain.
We visit the local museum and get out after closing time. A nice lady understands that this bald dutchman is not the average visitor, and kindly lets us finish.
She doesn’t know, but I feel that my father walks next to me. He was the conrector of the Murmellius gymnasium and taught Latin and Greek and ancient history. He taught me my love of ancient history, and he would be pleased to see his son following his footsteps.
Dark wet trains through the night bring us back to Pompeii. And as we eat our dinner the rain pours down again.
2025-02-07