20 Oct Italy Part III- Pompeii and Fashion Notes

Today I am sharing Part III of our trip to Italy and our visit to Pompeii.

First, if you haven’t read about Rome or the Amalfi Coast, here are the two posts:

Part I trip to Italy- Rome

Part II- Amalfi Coast

I have wanted to see Pompeii ever since there was a traveling exhibit at our Discovery Place in Charlotte years back.

At that time, we were able to learn some of the history, how the people lived, as well as people and animals encased, freezing them in ash at the moment they perished.

Pompeii

I was waiting in anticipation to visit Pompeii. I found it fascinating. We did the group guided tour as it had been already planned. As I mentioned, with my illness, I would next do a self-guided audio tour as with hypermobility and EDS, it is difficult to do the slow walking.

As a sidenote, Italians do not walk slow! Especially across streets! Everyone must be heading somewhere quickly! Perhaps it is all of the cafe! ( espresso). There are not always crosswalks, so once you start moving you do so quickly across the streets. Perhaps that is why you can eat all the pasta you want!

Now, back to Pompeii.

According to Wiki- 

Pompeii (/pɒmˈpeɪ(i)/ pom-PAY-(ee), Latin: [pɔmˈpei̯.iː]) was an ancient city located in what is now the comune of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Largely preserved under the ash, the excavated city offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried,^[1] although much of the detailed evidence of the everyday life of its inhabitants was lost because of excavations. It was a wealthy town, with a population of ca. 11,000 in AD 79, enjoying many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings and works of art which were the main attractions for the early excavators.”

Pompeii With a Guided Tour

They are actually digging still in 2023 and we were able to see the site. I was mesmerized with the artifacts, and that our guide would point out which sections were houses, which we wine “bars”, the baths. Other sections of Pompeii were for prostitutes. When the exhibit came to Charlotte, I couldn’t beleive I was seeing the people and animals encased in the position in which they perished. Some would die from the hot ash, others would from suffocation when homes or buildings collapsed. It was a single moment in time where the person was buried under the ash.

“Although best known for its Roman remains visible today, dating from AD 79, it was built upon a substantial city dating from much earlier times.”

We would spend a long time walking and viewing the remains of a lost city. As I mentioned, slow walking is very hard on me with my hypermobility, but this was the last long tour we would be on, and I didn’t want to miss it. If you don’t have health concerns, I highly recommend the audio guided tour, as you learn so much you wouldn’t otherwise.

Wealthier residents of Pompeii were spotted with large murals of animals, scenes or people on their walls, or a large garden with 3 legged tables.  Landry was done in urine, as it was a cleanser, like bleach to clean the clothes.  If you would like to learn more about Pompeii, click HERE to  only one of the sites. The history is fascinating, and I feel like I am stepping back in time, to another world.

Pink Floyd recorded Dark Side of the Moon here.

Italian Fashion Notes

Hubby took some pictures of what I wore in Italy. There were many dresses, Clara Sunwoo wrinkle-free clothing, neck scarves and sunglasses.

Even though I had a carryon, I could have packed even less than I did. You know, you have to make room for souvenirs! (We ended up stuffing ours in backpacks and our suitcase). Wine would be delivered back to the States!

It was interesting, because it told me I could pack even lighter than I did and would in the future.

Italian men were smartly dressed, some in suits, others in trousers and button downs. Sunglasses were a must.

Older ladies and gents dressed smartly, even if going to the grocery story. The ladies would wear scarves and nice shoes. The only people I saw in sweatpants, leggings or shorts were tourists. I did read prior to going, that the Italians consider gym clothes to be worn at the gym, and loungewear only at home. I didn’t see any teenagers or twenty somethings in their pajamas! (As I have seen here).  It really was lovely to see ladies 80+ still interested in looking smart and put together.

Sneakers- such as Adidas, Stan Smith, Cole Haan, etc were popular footwear, if one was to walk around all day. I did see some ladies in dress shoes, but they were not tourists. Believe me, when we went to Pompeii, and I had to walk on the large cobblestones, I was glad to have my sneakers on. (plus, they have lemons on the back…. P.S. See my writing on Sorrento!)

Here are some of the outfits I wore:

I did a bit of shopping, but not much. I preferred to go into some of the locally owned shops in Rome and Sorrento. My hubby bought me a chocolate brown leather bag and wallet at a store in Rome. It brandishes a stamp which says, “Made in Firenze.”(Florence). I will share that soon!

I wore a lot of dresses with my Cole Hann TopSpin sneakers, and they were excellent for all day walking! Highly recommend.

There were other outfits, I mixed and matched the Clara Sunwoo pants with, and I brought a silk midi skirt as well. Even with the carryon, and packing cubes, I could have got along with less! I was quite happy I packed linen dresses and my Vince linen blazer. It was quite warm with 80 degree days. We couldn’t have asked for more, as we were there two weeks and not one bad day! Sunshine each day.

There were plenty of designer shops such as Gucci, Dior, COS, Balenciaga and so many more.

At the Vatican and Sistine Chapel

I love neck scarves and felt right at home!

Designer Stores

Have you been to Pompeii? Tell me about it in the comments. I love to hear from you!

Have a great weekend!

Jess xx