Herculaneum

I have heard it said that Herculaneum is better to see than Pompeii. Well I did the two on consecutive days so could do the comparison. Of course the real point is that they are just different. 

Herculaneum is much smaller - a much smaller town. Its more compact so less tiring, but then again if you like wandering round ruins the more the better. The frescoes are by and large better preserved here. Its also supposed to be less visited and so quieter, although frankly in November this isn't a serious concern. There weren't many tourists in either place, although I did come across some little guided tour groups in Pompeii, but none here, apart from one school party that I tried to stay at the opposite side of the site from at all times.

One of the downsides is that the modern town of Herculaneum is visible all the way round

There is a bridge over the site before you get to the main entrance, from which you can see pretty much everything of the town, or at least as much as they have excavated.

As you can see, the streets were hardly crowded with visitors.

Now I have tried to take photos of the more attractive parts. But here is an example of what is wrong with the running of both Herculaneum and Pompeii. Can you design a less fitting bit of support for a major monument? Scaffolding poles and sticky tape?

 Perhaps my favourite part of both sites, but especially here, are the shops and taverns with their built in marble counters and containers for whatever they were selling

 The House of Augustus is one of the best preserved in terms of the amount of the fabric of the building still standing and the preservation of the painted walls.

 This might not look much, but is plaster by a door next to the charred remains of the door frame itself.

 The town has numerous water founts - no doubt highly desirable in the hot summers, as were the internal courtyards.

 As you can see, its not just the ground floors that survived - here are the upper floors on exposed.

 Originally it was thought that the residents of Herculaneum escaped, but later excavations found skeletons in caves etc. They were cooked alive.

 Note the clever use of skylights bringing light and water into the middle of these houses.

And there is a very well preserved bath complex. Nice mosaics and vaulted barrel ceiling.

Now one of my moans about Naples and here too is the appalling graffiti. Its one thing to scrawl over the walls of some apartment block, but even here, on walls that survived 2000 years can you really be crass enough to want to scratch your name? Just to show what a compete and utter arse you are?

This mosaic seems to include various every day objects, forks, vases and , err, cock and balls?

 Not all mosaics were on the floors. This very well preserved one is a wall mosaic.

 Note that even the windows have been preserved. Fair to say that the panes would have been a lot
finer before the corrosion. Nevertheless I doubt they would have let in an enormous amount of light.

 This house not only retained its little fountain, but also a marble table...

 ...and even the wooden doors

 Even better examples of Roman windows.

A nice little  orchard