10/14/2026
Herculaneum was an amazing compliment to Pompeii, especially for the amazing preserved details, like this courtyard with mosaic artwork and sculpted faces, the charred wood and exquisite mosaic floors. I was stunning by how much marble was still preserved, along with rooms full of terracotta jars - overall, better preserved than Pompeii, despite being much smaller, because the town got encased and sealed, preserving organic material. Our guide Sara was very passionate and knowledgeable, and we observed many groups coming in and out of rooms quickly, while we received detailed information that kept us in our spaces much longer - which also gave us better opportunities for photos with fewer people in them.
Walking on ancient Roman roads and ornate mosaic floors while peeling back the layers of history and observing Greek Tufa architecture from the 6th century BC repaired by Roman terracotta tiles that were used to reconstruct damage from an earthquake that struck the village 17 years before Vesuvius erupted (79 AD) is an experience I could never have imagined.
As was the vision so alive, of the horrifying events of 79 AD, for a people who had never seen a volcanic eruption, who were unaware their fertile lands were a gift of Mt Vesuvius’ eruption some 20,000 years ago, and who must have been so shocked and terrified when their world collapsed under such violence combined with heat and burning stones. The victims in Herculaneum were more fortunate than those as Vesuvius, as their demise was much faster. For those of Pompeii who died, clutching their tunics over their noses and mouths to prevent the toxic air, - I had never really thought about the fact that these people wouldn’t haven understood what was happening. According to history, the Romans were somewhat aware of
volcanos, and most of the people fled and survived, but the nephew of Pliny the Elder was the first ever to write eye-witness accounts of the events. Pliny the Elder was a sailer who died trying to save people from the boathouses on the shores of Herculaneum, which was a Seaside fishing village then. (The ocean is now more than a mile away).
Another note of interest - as Herculaneum was much smaller and wealthier than Pompeii, they did not have a brothel. Wealthy people simply owned their own personal prostitutes who lived in their homes. The town has an abundance of red and blue marble from Egypt and other far-away places, another sign of great wealth.
Anyway - two very heavy days and we are pretty exhausted and feeling the weight of it all. I’ve been thinking much about the comments of a friend who avoids coming to places like this, as it’s voyeurism. We both felt that deeply in Pompeii, thus decided not to visit the replica skeletons of Herculaneum - but I also feel on the flip side, being here has contributed to the immortalizing of these people, in a sense, they might feel honoured by the millions who have paid homage to their tragedy, shed tears for their pain and thought long about their experience - out of empathy. I hope that is the case…
It would be amazing to see cities like these inspiring architects of now, to centre our priorities around beautiful living spaces and artistic creation over billionaire profits. If only we could have all of that without poverty or slaves…
Thank you, dear Ancient Romans and Greeks, for building these visionary cities…
