Uncovering Life in Pompeii (Kat Nickola)

“Mom! It’s a hippocampus.” My 11-year-old son is pointing at a faded fresco of a wild creature with a horse head and snake tail. “Just like Rainbow in Percy Jackson.”

I stare at the wall inside what had been a home in ancient Pompeii. “Oh, yes!” I’ve finally made the connection. He is obsessed with author Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, and if I recall correctly, they ride these creatures in the sea at some point.

It isn’t the first time he taps into his knowledge of ancient gods. We spot other frescoes in the many excavated houses; we examine floor mosaics and marvel at the remains of a temple.

Slim Jim, my dog, is getting restless in his carrier on my back. We head outside of the villa where he can walk around on his leash. On the main street, the decumanus maximus, we spot a fountain and refill our water bottles. It is a hot summer day, so we stay hydrated and take lots of snack breaks in the shade.

Street in ancient roman city Pompeii, Italy. (von Janis Smits - Adobe Stock)

Visiting Pompeii is a long hoped-for trip with my son. Riordan’s books opened him up to a world of Greek and Roman mythology and made reading less of a struggle. Being able to walk in the footsteps of that ancient period becomes a confirmation of his personal accomplishment.

We are staying at the Hotel Villa dei Misteri, which has a great pool to cool off in after a day of travel and dusty exploration of ruins. It is within walking distance to the archaeological park’s western entry gate at the ancient Porta Marina, meaning we can conveniently enter without needing to worry about transportation. I booked our dated “Ingresso Mattina Plus” tickets ahead of time via a link to TicketOne from the official website at pompeiisites.org so we don’t have to wait in line or to keep up with a tour. People under 18 are free but still need a ticket.

Exploring the site on our own feels exciting. We use the basic park map and spot enough signs to find our way around and understand whether we are in a home, a business or a religious center. However, the details are lacking. For us, the discovery is part of the adventure. My son watched numerous documentaries and read significantly about Pompeii before coming, so he loves playing archaeologist and finding curious little nooks.

He grabs my phone and starts narrating a tour video. “So, this is the bakery. Here is the grindstone…” Slim Jim and I follow along immersing ourselves into the daily lives of the ancient Romans. Having the dog along gives us an extra-casual feeling and we don’t worry about seeing it all. We admire the rutted streets, take pictures on the crosswalks and pretend to sell food at the vendor stalls.

Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Kat Nickola)

After exploring the length of the decumanus maximus, we find ourselves at the other end of the park and pop into the amphitheater to briefly play gladiator. It’s hot so we stop in the shade of a big pine tree for a break before heading inside the cooler Palestra Grande where artifacts like gold jewelry, tiny glass jars and charred loaves of bread pique our interest.

Slim Jim must ride in his carrier when inside the museum. Only pups 10kg or smaller may enter the Pompeii archaeological park. They must be kept on a leash the entire time and carried when taken inside a building. There are stray dogs and cats that call the park home; we just steered clear of their space.

After the museum, we walk to the northern part of the park where the larger villas have been uncovered. Inside, colorful frescos and floor mosaics speak to the opulence of the time. In the Macellum, we happen upon one of Pompeii’s famous body casts; it feels a little disturbing, so we do not pursue finding more.

Roman Fresco in the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Kat Nickola)

Pompeii is a massive archaeological park, and we stay all day. There are plenty of places to refill a water bottle, but food is scarce outside of the extremely crowded food court. I am glad to have packed a picnic lunch and snacks.

In the House of the Faun, we admire the famous floor mosaic of Alexander the Great and the small statue in the garden that the home is named for. Late in the day, we continue to walk northward out of the city through the Porta Ercolano. This shady road leads past intricate tombs to two massive villas included in our ‘plus’ ticket.

We finish the day at the Villa dei Misteri, where some of the most impressive painted rooms really give us insight into what these folks enjoyed.

“Mom, look, there’s a satyr like Grover,” my son says. The interpretation board in Room 5 tells us that the large paintings are from around 70 B.C. only about 150 years prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

When the volcano erupted in 79 B.C., Pompeii and the nearby village of Herculaneum were buried under pyroclastic flows and ashfall that both destroyed everything and preserved a glimpse into life in a Roman town. Ironically, there is no better way to uncover what those lives were like than to walk the abandoned streets of Pompeii and roam its undisturbed ruins.