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with a meticulous process that opened a little hole in it so they could pour in plaster. That plaster was made with a special formula so that it would not shrink when dry. They wanted to see things as they were, not deformed by shrinkage.
The plaster dry, they began to work with scalpels to remove the lava around the casts. From their patient work emerged bodies, which revealed even the most subtle expressions in the faces of people caught in the last moments of their lives.

A plaster cast of a man shows that he had tried to save his life from the rain of stones by climbing a tree. The avalanche of lava and gases killed him anyway. He lies on the ground now with his legs around the tree trunk.
In a family group, a father tries to protect his pregnant wife with the end of his tunic, the cloth still visible on the lady's face.
Two lovers were killed during their embrace. They are now cast into eternity in their act of love.
A little boy, a skimpy cloth barely covering him, looks like a baby Jesus.
In other "coffins", archaeologists found bones, still intact, and jewels. They did not fill those coffins with plaster, but patiently brought out the bones and reassembled them as they were found. A girl with rings around her fingers lies in her sleep. A reminder to all modern girls, who worry about their acne or rotten boyfriends, to stop worrying because they are blessed; they can live their lives.
Frescoes, remarkably well preserved by the lava, maintain their original brilliant colors. Scenes of family life, birds on fruit trees, still lives, animals give the viewers the experience of a place where many people enjoyed themselves. Life size figures, with haunting dark eyes, seem as they will soon step out of the walls and meet me.
Outside, a mosaic on the entryway warns possible intruders to stay away. I read: Cave canem , Latin for "Beware of the dog." A dog is crafted with black tiles on a white background
Standing walls everywhere bear graffiti of sexual content, as well as political. One needs to know very little Latin to understand the gist of those messages, which are playfully illustrated by drawings. My Latin professor would have found it easier to teach, especially to Latin impermeable boys, had he used these graffiti.
Everybody should visit Pompeii. It gives one's mind a new dimension and puts into perspective the worries, the heartaches, and other problems of modern, frantic life. Looking at so many dead people, many of which young, many still babies, makes you feel grateful that you have a life.
Pompeii is a dead city, but gives all people an appreciation for life, no matter what adverse circumstances might burden it. Memento mori . People around here are continuously reminded of that . Wise, even as children, they have a great zest for life, no matter how poor they are. They are also very generous and warm. A gift from Vesuvius?

To see Pompeii take the train from Naples or Salerno and then walk.
You won't find restaurants or hotels in the old city, which is a necropolis. Necros is Greek for "dead". This is a city of the dead.
However, in modern Pompeii, which sprawls in the valley around the necropolis, plenty of hotels and restaurants offer accommodation and pleasure.
People determined to see everything will need more than one day to tour the necropolis, so I recommend accommodation in modern Pompeii.
Want to spend just one day in Pompeii? Get there with an early train, and go back at night.

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