Italy

Pompeii, Italy with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Pompeii was founded sometime between the 8th–6th centuries BC. After numerous conquests, it eventually became a Roman town. It was destroyed in, 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Most people are believed to have died by the searing heat (250 degrees C). Afterwards, the town was covered in layers of ash, which preserved the ruins. The eruption was documented by Pliny the Younger who watched it from across the Bay of Naples. The town was eventually forgotten about and it was not until 1599 that it was rediscovered during an project to divert the Sarno River. It was then forgotten about until 1748. Major excavations continued for years thereafter. AIMG_3262

Pompeii, Italy with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Pompeii was founded sometime between the 8th–6th centuries BC. After numerous conquests, it eventually became a Roman town. It was destroyed in, 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Most people are believed to have died by the searing heat (250 degrees C). Afterwards, the town was covered in layers of ash, which preserved the ruins. The eruption was documented by Pliny the Younger who watched it from across the Bay of Naples. The town was eventually forgotten about and it was not until 1599 that it was rediscovered during an project to divert the Sarno River. It was then forgotten about until 1748. Major excavations continued for years thereafter. In the mid 19th Century, Giuseppe Fiorelli led the architctural recovery. He determined that spaces in the ash layer containing human remains had been left by the decomposed bodies. He injected plaster into the spaces to recreate the forms of Vesuvius's victims. AIMG_3256

Pompeii, Italy with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Pompeii was founded sometime between the 8th–6th centuries BC. After numerous conquests, it eventually became a Roman town. It was destroyed in, 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Most people are believed to have died by the searing heat (250 degrees C). Afterwards, the town was covered in layers of ash, which preserved the ruins. The eruption was documented by Pliny the Younger who watched it from across the Bay of Naples. The town was eventually forgotten about and it was not until 1599 that it was rediscovered during an project to divert the Sarno River. It was then forgotten about until 1748. Major excavations continued for years thereafter. AIMG_3247

Pompeii was founded sometime between the 8th–6th centuries BC. After numerous conquests, it eventually became a Roman town. It was destroyed in, 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. Most people are believed to have died by the searing heat (250 degrees C) and then were covered in layers of ash, which preserved the ruins. The eruption was documented by Pliny the Younger who watched it from across the Bay of Naples. The town was eventually forgotten about and it was not until 1599 that it was rediscovered during an project to divert the Sarno River. It was then forgotten about until 1748. Major excavations continued for years thereafter. AIMG_3250

Cameo maker's workbench near Pompeii, Italy. Raised images carved in shells because popular during the Renaissance (15th and 16th Centuries). Helmut shells and conch shells are very popular sources for carvers. Italian carvers often use flame or bullmouth helmet cassis rufa (carnelian shell). A center for shell cameo carving is Torre del Greco, Italy, near Mt. Vesuveus. A master carver can take a week or more to carve a good quality shell cameo. AIMG_3209

A fish market in Amalfi, Italy AIMG_3194

Enjoying the sun in Amalfi, Italy AIMG_3196

Dried peppers for sale at a market in Amalfi, Italy AIMG_3192

A women watches the world pass by from her window in Amalfi, Italy AIMG_3193