Travel notes, photos, videos, and comments from all over the world. I may earn income from purchases of advertised products or clicking links. Please follow via email. Thanks Geoff Sutton of Sutton Travels blog and YouTube
An outdoor arena offers evidence of Roman France, or Gaul as it used to be known. The Roman City was called Lutetia. The old main Roman road is not Rue Saint-Jacques.
There's no charge to walk about this area preserved in a residential neighborhood. A little imagination reminds us of times when people watched others engage in deadly combat. Now it's a play area and worth a quick look (Arènes de Lutèce ). It was rediscovered in 1860 by Victor Hugo.
In addition, there's a crypt by Notre Dame, which contains a view of Roman Baths and artifacts. This find is fairly recent (1960s) and was opened in 1980. And it dates to some 2,000 years ago.
Pompeii is an ancient Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. Nearby is Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in 79 CE. The volcanic ash covered the city and preserved so much of life nearly 2,000 years ago. It was rediscovered in 1748.
Even before entering the old city, I was impressed by the sheer size of Pompeii.
The design and quality of sound in the Odeon Theatre is impressive.
I felt somewhat connected to the past whilst walking along the old streets.
As the guide pointed out, if you look closely, you can see the evidence of chariot wheels.
Impression of Chariot wheel Pompeii/ G Sutton 2019
The Roman plumbing skills are well known and impressive to see.
Fountain at Pompeii
Location of underground water system (the drain is modern)
Add caption
Old house pipe
The Roman spas are also quite famous. Following are scenes from Pompeii showing the structures beneath the floor.
The sex slaves in the brothel (latin word, lupanare, wolf den) served the visiting traders and is not far from the baths. Phallic symbols displayed on the walls and carved in the stones of the street point the way to the brothel. There are ten stone beds each located in a room. Colourful explicit sex scenes have been preserved, which apparently served as a menu. The available history indicates the girl sex slaves were purchased from east. Apparently, much of the erotic art has been taken by private collectors.
Bed in Pompeii brothel
Brothel sign in a Pompeii street
The Pompeii forum is hard to capture in photos. Here's a few to give you a sense of the size. Also refer to the panorama photo at the top of this post.
Some of the preserved finds from Pompeii are on display here, whilst others are in museums.
Some Romans continued Greek religious practices-- here's the Temple of Apollo with Mount Vesuvius in the background.
Some thoughts
Although I appreciated the guide for her experience in leading us to some of the highlights, which saves new visitors a considerable time, I would have liked more time.
