Sights of Pompeii simply mind-boggling

POMPEII, Italy — Walking through the ruins of Pompeii, one has to wonder: What is more amazing?

Is it the fact that a thriving city was virtually wiped off the face of the Earth when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago? Or that the city lost for centuries under volcanic ash has been excavated and restored to its present state?

Actually, it doesn't matter. Whatever the case, Pompeii is mind-boggling. While its residents were intelligent, successful, prosperous and industrious, they were no match for the unexpected fury Vesuvius unleashed on Aug. 24, A.D. 79.

Within a short time of the full eruption, the city ceased to exist. Hot ash buried everything. More than half of some 20,000 residents died, most falling victim to the poisonous gases. The rest escaped the reign of death, never to return.

"Pompeii was never caught by the lava of Vesuvius. It was just buried by the ash, lapilli (burning stones) and pyroclastic material," said Giuseppe D'Angelo, general manager of Deangelo Tours. He's one of the many guides who lead thousands of tourists through the ancient city's ruins southeast of Naples in southern Italy. Our tour was in May.

"At the end of the eruption, the layer of material was 35 to 45 feet high."

The hot gases suffocated thousands and destroyed organic material. Once the danger from the volcano passed, those who had fled the onslaught had no interest in returning. They had decided that the region was cursed, D'Angelo said.

For all intents and purposes, Pompeii had ceased to exist. All that remained was a legend of a once-thriving city, a legend that grew over the centuries.

"Pompeii was rediscovered by accident in 1600 by the royal architect Domenico Fontana, who was working in modern Pompeii's area to erect the aqueduct," D'Angelo said.

Still, little importance was attached to Fontana's discovery, and the real work of excavating the ruins did not begin in earnest until 1748. Even then, it would be another 112 years before haphazard efforts were finally brought under control.

While "easy" may be making light of the work that needed to be done, excavating the ruins of Pompeii proved to be less of a task than might be expected, because the city had been buried beneath ash rather than lava, which solidifies when it cools.

As much as the ruins themselves, the one thing that stands out about a tour of Pompeii is the plaster casts of many of the victims. Giuseppe Firoelli is credited with the idea of pouring plaster into cavities where the remains of those who perished were locked in the ash. The casts reveal death poses of those overcome by the gases and those who simply stopped fleeing and waited for death to come.

Amazingly, the walls of some houses reveal frescos with still-vibrant colors. Outside the door of one residence is a mosaic of a barking dog — Pompeii's answer to a "Beware of Dog" sign.

The streets are made up of large boulders with angled sides that allowed water to drain. Crosswalks catch the eye of many tourists. Raised boulders allowed residents to walk across rain-swollen streets. The raised boulders are just high enough to keep folks dry but low enough so that chariots could pass over them.

Despite being destroyed by the volcanic eruption, Pompeii remains a work in progress. While an estimated 65 percent has been unearthed, the other 35 percent remains buried. According to D'Angelo, next on the agenda is the unearthing of the Temple of Venus.