The Anniversary of the Eruption: Pompeii

Buon Giorno,
October 24, 79 CE--one thousand nine hundred and forty years ago (I did the math) Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum.  I actually did not know this when I chose to visit Pompeii today.
I had an adventure along the way--due to a vandalized sign and a fit of stupidity on my part.  I was squished into a corner of a carriage on the Circumvesuviana train.  I couldn't see out to see the names of the stations.  I was looking for Villa Mystire.  I thought I spotted it and hopped off the train.  Nope.  The name was similar, but I was actually in the middle of nowhere.  Fine.  Don't panic.  I waited and about ten minutes later another train came by and I boarded.
Wow, it's practically empty, I thought taking a window seat.  Then it occurred to me that the reason it was so empty was that this was not the tourist train to Pompeii, and heaven knows where I'd end up.  Fortunately the train did stop at Pompeii City Station, and I just walked across town to the archeological park.
The nice lady at the ticket counter explained that they were "celebrating the anniversary of the eruption" so admission was free.
What a place!  The site is huge, and quite a few of the buildings are closed.  If people bring a picnic they could easily spend the entire day, and in fact I saw that that is what many did.  I did not see everything by any means, but I walked across the whole park and saw a lot.  Most of the best art is in the National Museum in Naples, but some mosaics and frescos are still in situ.
This is not a place for flimsy shoes. Roman  pavement is rough and there's a lot of climbing up and down.
The thing I wanted to see most was the Villa of the Mysteries.  Now if I had stayed on the train as I should have, I would have been dumped out about a kilometer from the park entrance with the Villa right there.  As it happened I entered near the Amphitheatre.  I overheard a woman asking a museum employee if it were a church.  Uh no.  Although it's possible that a Christian or two featured as entertainment.  I saw the forum, a couple of temples, visited peristyle gardens and had a good historical wallow.
I saved the Villa of the Mysteries for last.  For one thing it was right near the exit and the way to the train station.  The Villa is so called because of its marvelous Second Style frescos featuring the characteristic Pompeiian Red.  Second Style means to create the illusion that the room continues and uses techniques to create 3D impressions.  The room from which the Villa gained its name has frescos apparently depicting an initiation into a mystery cult. A winged being appears to supervise the process, but other figures dance or cower.  They interact with figures on other walls.  It's an impressive piece of work.
Then home.  I was tired, so I was glad the train was less crowded and I got a seat.  I took the metro home.  It's not faster than walking, but I didn't want to deal with the traffic and noise.  It's nice to be home in my comfortable apartment with my apero and pasta for dinner.