Travel ltaly; Naples Gives Up a Dirty Secret
Thursday, October 16th, 2008At the moment, I’m spending all my days writing about Campania and Naples. It’s taken me longer than I thought but there’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t wish I was back there – right now.
I’m not sure if you would fall in love with Naples as much I have. It’s a dirty, polluted, congested, crowded, and at times, a bit dangerous. Just look at the picture above. The buildings all look like they’re running into each other. It has the highest population density in Europe. I experienced the filthiest public bathroom ever – in the Garibaldi Train Station! The taxis and cars are small, beat up affairs. The scooters are like swarming flies and occasionally “accidentally” hook onto a tourist’s purse. But I still love Naples.
Over time, I’ll have to write more about my love of Campania – but today, Naples will give up one of its dirty-little-secrets. The focus of my trip was to visit Pompeii – a city awaken from it’s horribly induced sleep. A city that had been cruelly buried in fire and ash by the always looming Mt Vesuvius. But first, I was told I had to go to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale – The National Archeological Museum. This museum houses most everything that has been recovered from Pompeii during the last 260 years of excavations. I was told it puts what I will see in Pompeii in context. MMMMMMM So, I headed over to the museum. I forded the piazzas (squares) where traffic signs are a mere suggestion. Scooters, and ram-shackled cars about and the smell of the city. By the time I arrived at the museum . . . .
. . . . it was a pink oasis. PINK?!?! How cutting edge. I paid my entrance fee €6.50 ($8.75) and was informed that “the Segreto della Stanza” (secret room) will be opening soon and it has limited hours”. Secret room? This being Italy – I thought gambling? Pole dancing? Sex Shop? Well, yes, but in an ancient way. Ancient way you say? Well, you learn something everyday you travel and that’s one reason I love it so much. At the appointed time, the guard took his key and opened the fancy barred door. It creaked as he swung it open and mumbled in Italian “Soltanto Adulti (Adults only)”. Below, is the first item I was confronted with . . . .
Yikes! This was collected from a house in Pompeii. It stated that every home in Roman times had one of these over there hearth where they baked their bread. It was so the gods would make sure their bread was going to rise while it was baking. How must the women must have felt with that hanging where they cooked. (A few days later when I went to Pompeii – every house had a square indentation where this and all the other ones collected in Museums around the world originally were attached) I turned around and on the wall . . . . .
. . . this would also have hung, ahem, over the Pompeii residence’s oven too. It’s not as, well, prominent as the one above it. Then, the paintings – realistic stuff!!!! Well, if you really need to see it, it’s after the jump – not for kiddies’ eyes and make sure YOURS DON”T GET POKED OUT!
