Pompeii

Pompeii was an ancient Roman city near Naples in Italy. Pompeii, along with many villas in the surrounding area, was mostly destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 feet of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Evidence for the destruction originally came from a surviving letter by Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from a distance and described the death of his uncle.
Pompeii has been a tourist destination for over 250 years. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy with approximately 2.5 million visitors every year. I have been lucky enough to visit Pompeii this past summer. It is sad to see such a destroyed city and dead bodies placed in the position they died in. Below is a collage of images I captured from Pompeii. As you can see from the bottom right picture, the wall paintings are very detailed and colorful. They have painted stucco and frescos style, and this picture shows that on a ceiling. Also, you can see 2 bodies from men that died from the eruption and architectural pillars that are still standing in Pompeii.

This image below was a fast food restaurant in Pompeii. You can see the holes where they placed the food for people to line up and grab food on the go. Fast food restaurants have obviously changed dramatically over time.

Then

Now

Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano and it is one of several volcanoes which form the Campanian volcanic arc. Its elevation is 4,203 feet. I had the chance to climb this volcano while visiting Pompeii. Below is a image from the top of the volcano. It was an amazing experience because when you finally reach the top you are in the center of clouds. 

This image I took below is in a wealthy families home in Pompeii. This reminded me of a Domus from the Roman time period. It is in the 1st room atrium and the roof is open for the rain to fall into the space below. 

Current Applications:
Wall paintings are still popular today in interior and exterior places.

Discussion: I reviewed Yo's and Kristina P's blogs. In Yo's blog I learned about the four different styles of paintings. I like how he discussed each one and posted a picture of an example of the style of painting. Also, his photo of the overall view of the city of Pompeii was neat to see. I didn't realize how large the city actually was. In Kristina's blog, I enjoyed how she focused on the architecture. It was awesome that she related Pompeii's architecture to a hotel she stayed at with her family. Also, her image of the beaded tile was beautiful. I wish I saw more flooring that looked like that today.