10-20-2011, 11:18 PM
Hi! Well we got written permission from the authorities to go in soft-kit to Herculaneum, but not Pompeii. But, considering the attention we'd get and the nagging requests for photos, we decided against it at the very last minute.
In all we visited Herculaneum once and Pompeii three times, each time for 6-7 hours. We know it like the back of our hands now, we were even giving English-speaking tourists directions. Maybe we looked like we knew where we were going.
The highlights were getting in at 8:30 and having the amphitheatre to ourselves, sitting up high on the benches, looking down, and again, getting to the Lupernale (brothel) and soaking up that seedy atmosphere without the huge crowds that appeared after 10:00.
On the final visit we took wine (Lacrimi Christi, from grapes grown on the slopes of Vesuvius) and shared a glass or two at one of the street-corner bars up toward the Ercalano Gate. We took turns being the barkeep..the closest we got to re-enactment at Pompeii!
In all we visited Herculaneum once and Pompeii three times, each time for 6-7 hours. We know it like the back of our hands now, we were even giving English-speaking tourists directions. Maybe we looked like we knew where we were going.
The highlights were getting in at 8:30 and having the amphitheatre to ourselves, sitting up high on the benches, looking down, and again, getting to the Lupernale (brothel) and soaking up that seedy atmosphere without the huge crowds that appeared after 10:00.
On the final visit we took wine (Lacrimi Christi, from grapes grown on the slopes of Vesuvius) and shared a glass or two at one of the street-corner bars up toward the Ercalano Gate. We took turns being the barkeep..the closest we got to re-enactment at Pompeii!
Paul Elliott
Legions in Crisis
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/17815...d_i=468294
Charting the Third Century military crisis - with a focus on the change in weapons and tactics.
Legions in Crisis
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/17815...d_i=468294
Charting the Third Century military crisis - with a focus on the change in weapons and tactics.