Blogging from: Mount Vesuvius

Bloggers: Sophia and Kylie

Steps Taken: 17,500

Flights Climbed: 67

This morning we returned to the ruins of Pompeii to see the one of the earliest stone amphitheaters. The building was designed to hold 20,000 people and used a main gate and a series of staircases to organize movement into and out of the structure. The stepped seating allowed us to see how social hierarchy would have been manifested with elites closest to the violent spectacles. We were joined by a special visitor as learned about spectacle violence: a stray dog looking for a drink of water!

Then we broke to explore the ancient city on our own and collect evidence for our papers about daily life as a person in Pompeii. Some of us visited the bathing structures, while others looked at a domus or the Temple of Isis.

After spending the last few days with the looming shadow of Vesuvius in the background, we decided to visit the volcano itself. The winding switchbacks up to the hiking point were not for the faint of heart (or stomach). We then prepared for an ascent that would rival the 54 mile trek from Mt. Moosilauke to Dartmouth. Why hike Gile for the ~peak foliage~ when you can scale an active volcano?

The views from the top of the crater were nothing short of breathtaking. We were impressed by the depth of the crater as well as the height of the mountain as we looked down over the bay of Naples. We then managed to make it downhill back to the safety of Arnoldo despite the steep pathway of loose rocks and dirt. To pay homage to Arnoldo before leaving, we stopped at his favorite place: the Autogrill. There we all got sandwiches to fulfill us before our three-hour long bus ride back to Rome. At Rome we parted ways, as the girls moved into their nice new apartment at BHI, and the boys got our old one.

With sore legs,

Sophia and Kylie

#sotd