I was blessed to be able to accompany some friends of mine to Europe for a Mediterranean cruise in September 2009. The weather was beautiful and we went to many ports along the 12 day trip. This gallery highlights our time in Pompeii and nearby Naples Italy.

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery around 1592. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

As with almost the entire trip, the day was clear with ample sunshine, but harsh shadows due to the timing of the day. However, even with poor light for pictures, it was amazing to walk the same streets as the estimated 20,000 citizens who were in the city on 24 August 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius, which towers over the city.