There was a little overnight rain but by 09:30 there was
heavy rain and thunder and lightning. We had originally intended to take a
non-toll route to Pompeii in order to enjoy the views but, given the weather
conditions, we decided to take the toll motorway. We delayed our departure
until the worst of the storm had passed but we still encountered heavy rain on
the motorway and had to reduce speed on a number of occasions.
The Zeus campsite is the only one that offers the ACSI discount at this time of
the year but the main site was full when we arrived and we were directed to
their second area. The whole campsite is next to a railway line and the second
area is just the other side of it, accessible by a pedestrian tunnel. There were
no facilities except fresh water in the second area but the toilet block was
only a short distance away. The pitches weren’t as regulated, so we had plenty
of room and we had a pitch with shade, which given that the temperature was 29°C,
was very welcome.
The good news was that the rain had stopped and Pompeii had obviously not had
the storms that we had in Cassino. However, it was still uncomfortably humid.
We had decided to buy the MyPompeii card as it provides multiple access to all
the sites in the Pompeii area for 12 months. Although we are unlikely to return
within the year, we felt that we were likely to visit Pompeii on more than one
day. We could have bought the MyPompeii card online but opted to buy it at the
ticket office that was only a 5 minute walk away. When we got there, we were
told that we could only purchase it online, which was not made clear on the
website. So we found a wall to sit on and went through the application online.
It became clear as to why they only allowed online applications – the process
involved giving lots of information (I was waiting for the ‘what is your inside
leg measurement’ question). We then had to go back to the ticket office to pick
up the physical MyPompeii ticket after presenting our passports to prove our
identity.
We had 2 hours before the site closed at 19:30, so we decided to go in for a
short visit and we investigated the area around the Forum. It was quiet at that
time but we knew that tomorrow would be much busier.
Photos: A lovely mosaic in the Casa del Marinaio; A typical view over the
crowded houses of the city – many of the buildings fronting the street are
shops, often with living accommodation behind; Jane crossing a street using the
Roman stepping stone; A maze mosaic in the House of Geometric Mosaics.
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