Naples Trip - A Busman's Holiday

Our blog has been a bit quiet because we’ve been away on a “busman’s holiday”! Pompeii, Ercolano (Herculaneum) and the fabulous National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

Where do I start? Pompeii was too big and too busy. Ercolano is smaller, intimate and allows you to feel the lives of the people who lived and died there. And there are not enough superlatives to describe the Museum. Naples sits below Vesuvius, like a lamb beneath a lion. It is certainly daunting.   Here are a few photos.

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A few years ago David gave me a replica Roman snake bracelet – I love it and of course wore it to Italy.

To my absolute joy we saw the real thing in Ercolano. I took mine off and photographed it alongside the two on display. It is even more special to me now.

 Roman culture revered snakes they symbolized healing, protection and rebirth, often associated with the god of medicine Asclepius. There is a Temple to Asclepius at Pompeii.

 It is amazing to think that we have Roman artefacts on our site including a Polden Hill brooch found in The Glebe Field, which have a similar date to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79CE.

Zillah