I don’t like packing.

There’s just something about it that seals my comfort zone with it.

I don’t sleep well before flights. I am not sure if it is anxiety, or just plain excitement that got in the way.

Thus here I am, in a scurry to conclude (or rather.. crawl towards concluding) the series of memories-recapping, as I probably have much to blog about in the coming week.

And what’s more, probably at a new location too.

***

It was supposed to be the day of Florence.

Just the day when we first reached Rome, I had mentioned about Pompeii being one of the places I have always wanted to go, cos I am just so intrigued by what I had read about it since years ago, but I had no freaking idea where it is.

A quick browse on the pamphlet lying in the hotel lobby made me discover that it was a possible destination, with a day tour to Naples (Napoli), routing to Pompeii.

A nice place, or somewhere I have been wanting to go for the longest time?

The dream in the dreamer took over, and a trip was quickly booked via the hotel, and had us set off at 6.15am in the morning.

It was a freezing morning, and I remember having a hot cup of tea, sitting on the metal chairs outside the cafe watching Rome coming to life as dawn’s curtains were drawn.

I kept pushing out my breaths and watch the mini clouds formed, wrapping my icy hands round the paper cup.

What begun was a 3 hours-drive to Naples, and we saw the scenery took on a transformation.. from a city of pure, genius art, to nature’s art.

The countryside with occasion sights of old castles rich in history and speak fascinating stories…

When we finally reached Naples, the city found by the ancient Greeks, and the city where pizza was birthed!

The view of Bay of Naples was simply… breathtaking.

We were given a short tour of Castel Nuovo, where the kings used to reign.

As we were touring the city, a black dog started following us, as though it was chaperoning us, and as I squatted down to pat it, it flipped onto its back and leaned its head up as though wanting to kiss me.

But as though we were still intoxicated with the charms of Rome, Naples didn’t manage to rouse that much excitement.

It was half an hour more before I finally saw Pompeii – The lost city, in sight.

It was lunch at some Victoria Hotel with the rest of the group, and we were seated with a family of Canadians from another tour group, telling us about their lives, their adventures with their now-grown children around the world as the father was a diplomat.

They also spoke of their love for Rome and the must-visit places and spoke of the excitement of finally visiting Pompeii.

And then. We stepped foot into the ruins, with the non-threatening Mt Vesuvius framing it in the background.

In 79 AD, it had erupted and killed 5000 of the 20000 population, burying Pompeii under 60 feet of ash. It was unearthed in 1748, by an accidental discovery. Evacuation works can be still seen at the site till this day.

Although it is probably mostly ruins, but to walk down the carriageway built 2000 years ago, and being awed by the “technology” of the people, envisioning their last moments… is truly an experience. Not to mention how much of the architecture, art and relics are still very much intact.

Double storey houses were already “in” back then, the temples with its majestic interior and pretty sculptures can still be seen, albeit in ruins.

The part I anticipated most and couldn’t stop talking about are the casts of the victims buried in the ash.

When the site was excavated, lots of skeletons were found in vacuum of spaces, etched in the ash. It was then realised the space was what encapsulated the victims when they were dying, and as the ash hardened, it created a mould of their bodies.

Plaster was then injected into the hollow spaces, and what turned out were eerie casts portraying faces of death.

You could see how their bodies were struggling, as they died from the fumes, and the agony evident on the casts that captured their expressions as they died.

The public bathhouse is well-preserved, and we could see the big, marble tub, and the area where there were statues on the walls, which used to house massage oils and such.

I was sitting on a water-catchment thingy which I supposed was for the horses to drink along the carriageway.

The little humps on the road are actually pedestrian walkway for people to cross the road since the road would be wet or muddy. Like zebra crossing!

And oh my! P O R N on the walls from 2000 years ago! It was the “geylang” of Pompeii, with tiny cubicles of stone beds.

Some are so short and I wonder if their acts would be limited. But judging from the visuals on the wall, they very well knew what they were doing.

The bakery oven was very much intact, left behind by one of the many bakeries which served the city with fresh bread.

In the casts found, one of it was a dog. And seeing the casts, could be very disturbing.

Try to make sense of the above picture. Haha.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to visit the museum in Naples, or there would be more of the casts/items unearthed on display there.

It was then another 3 hours ride back to Rome, where we stopped by Cassino for a short break, in the midst of the countryside. Absolutely beautiful.

And the day slowly dimmed as the bus stopped us at a street near our hotel after taking us around a short tour of Rome at night, and we stopped by at the pizzeria opposite the street to pack some pizza.

I tried making a conversation with the Italian waiter in a mixture of English and broken Italian. Damn, I should have brushed it up before I went there.

From a day of extended walking, I was just glad to be showered and hidden in the room with the stink from the shoes reminding me of the day of long, long, walking.

***

Bidding Rome goodbye was no easy feat.

Woke up to the new day still wanting to absorb as much of this mesmerising city before heading to the airport.

Upon exploring Rome alone just the day before, I know returning to Basilica di San Giovanni was a must, since I didn’t manage to go into it.

We walked into the Palace of the Holy Steps, where there were plenty of people worshipping, and we choreographed a picture to look as it.. well that they were worshipping us instead.

So much for vanity.

Then it became a routine that every place we went to, we would look for praying people and pretend to be the innocent tourist browsing at the structure, and the other would snap.

Of course, the cheekiness would be punished with the people promptly stand up just before we could snap it.

I was particularly taken by the statue above cos it was so intimidating, yet the details are so immaculate.

One thing about the cathedrals is that all the confession booths are so pretty.

Took a picture in St Peter’s Cathedral but I think I didn’t upload it cos just too much pictures to upload (I have to skim down from 1000+ gasp!).

It was then a fast and furious trip to Santa Maria degli … fillintherestofthenamehere. It was an old church dated back to 1500s which means The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs.

It was a nice wrap to the trip to Rome, as we ran across the junction, bypassing the fountain of Naiads in the centre.

Everything about it was just majestic, and the non-striking exterior hid plenty of gorgeous structures within it.

Rushed back to check out of the hotel by noon by the metro, before I do what I always do when I am overseas – write a postcard to Minibean (my Phuket one never made it back though).

It was the most Italian way to watch the shedding leaves, alfresco-style outside an authentic Italian cafe, sipping tea in the cold, and watching the array of colours from the flower shop opposite the road.

Slowing the pace was the way to go. So much peace, so much fulfilment and gladness to be finally here.

I will be back, someday, I know.

Rome. Venice. Florence. Nice.

Hailed a cab and headed back to the aeroporto, and once again, chewing on the high Italy has left me while looking at the vast out there.

Lovely.

Just lovely.