I love history, hence the reason why I constantly spew information that I learned from watching the History Channel. My obsession turned into my major and I suppose you could say that the “rest is history.” Being in Rome has brought me a new outlook on ancient history as well allowing me to pick away at the romanticized Rome that so many people talk about when they return from this great city. The Rome trip, for me, had reached its climax last weekend when we traveled to Sorrento and visited the ancient city of Pompeii, arguably the best preserved ancient city in the Roman Empire.
When walking around Rome, it is hard not to notice the ruins that surround you; the Colosseum on one side and the Roman Forum on the other. All of them are thousands of years old and have endured natural disasters, wars, and modern pollutions but they have affected immensely. For me, these ruins in Rome have left me unimpressed and often wondering why people are so obsessed with visiting these monuments. It is hard for me to imagine ancient Romans walking around the city and actually living in the city. I think that it is hard because the city has changed and evolved over the centuries and seeing modern buildings surrounding the ruins creates, for me, a conflicting setting.
As stated, my favorite place that we visited was Pompeii. I had been looking forward to going to this ancient place ever since I signed up for the trip. I think that I enjoy Pompeii more than Rome because it is a city in ruins plus it is impeccably preserved from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. This place has not been touched by anything modern and it allows me to fully envision the city in its full glory. The frescos, mosaics, and just the building structures seemed to be more engaging than in Rome for some reason. I know one of the best parts of the visit for me was visiting one of the largest brothels in Pompeii. I had seen it on television, along with other sites in Pompeii, and it was amazing. Many of my classmates were I suppose, taken back by the amount of sexual artwork throughout the city but one thing to remember is that Pompeii was a city within the Roman Empire; it would have followed example from Rome, the capitol. Many scholars are confident that if Rome had been preserved at the same time as Pompeii, 79 A.D., that it would have had the same sexual content and possibly more due to the sheer size of the city.
All in all, my time in Rome and the weekend trips were good. I do not want to take away from the beauty of Rome but I also do not want to romanticize about it either. The ruins in Rome are monumental but sometimes the best things come in small packages; for me, that was Pompeii. It was great that I have had the opportunity to experience so many places and see so many things while I have been in Rome. However, I would recommend that anyone traveling or planning to travel to Italy that you must visit Pompeii!
