Visiting Portici: The Unfamed Ash

“How much of human history has been eaten by the slow, enfolding jaws of Earth? How much of our ancestors’ legacies are kept safe, sequestered in soil?” – Old Sean

Rainbow Ride

Following a whirlwind walking tour through Rome, I bundled myself aboard a bus heading towards Naples.

The ride was unexpectedly pleasant. There were very few people inside and the bus was largely quiet with reclining chairs. The Italian countryside rolled past with a stunning display of diversity. Dark clouds fringed one horizon while wispy white vapors dominated the other. There were rolling hills, barren wine fields, hulking mountains, white stone cliffs and quaint little cities.

At one point of the ride, a rainbow speared through the sky, outlining the fringe of a stone mountain, I watched it grow more translucent as the sun sunk until it vanished entirely, before my bus had fully rolled beyond it.

Soon, I arrived in Naples, where dozens of rain drops splattered against my forehead, urging me to get a move on.

Getting through Naples

My first experience in Naples was very limited. I hadn’t actually booked accommodation in the city, since the expenses were relatively high. Instead, I was due to head south where I would be staying at an Airbnb in Portici. The journey went smoothly enough, with the metro system being surprisingly timely and comfortable. Old trains with plastic seats and few passangers chugged through twilight, vast, clashing network of graffiti scrolled across the outside of the vehicle.

When I finally arrived in Portici, I started walking down the sloping streets. The town is on a slight incline, gradually rolling towards the seat. Despite this, the angle isn’t strenuous, making even uphill walks perfectly manageable.

I passed through dark and narrow streets, my footsteps finding an easy tempo. The town of Portici isn’t especially beautiful, but it’s far more laid back than Naples had been. Numerous Christmas lights began speckling the street corners and I was surprised at how festive things started to feel.

Since I’m based in Saudi Arabia currently, Christmas festivities are practically non-existent. Certainly, there are a few spots which have Christmas lights up in malls, but these are simply flare features. They have no meaning behind them. But back in Italy with a robust Christian population, the lights are far more apparent and celebrated. Despite not a flake of snow, the small town of Portici felt like the holiday season was inbound, especially along their softly lit alleys.

I finally arrived at my accommodations, which proved surprisingly lovely. There was a wide bed, narrow shower and small cooking space. Pictures of the shoreline decorated a light blue wall, making the entire room seem like a lighthouse-esque interior.

I quickly dropped off my stuff and set off to explore the tiny city I now called home.

Night in Portici

I started my night by making a beeline for the shore, hoping to gaze out over a dark sea.

If there are two features that fill me with wonder, even after all my years of traveling, they are oceans and mountains. While a sea isn’t quite an ocean, it certainly contains the same visual impact.

I walked down cobbled streets, mist gathering around my ankles. Gradually, I moved away from the soft lines of traffic to reach the coast, where stone stairs led down to winding roads. I passed an odd, neon-pink shop. I’ve seen several others in the Portici area.

I believe these are called Prendimi Snack and Drink H24. These unmanned stores are open twenty-four hours a day, but they’re not precisely shops. They’re more like open rooms lined with embedded vending machines selling a rather strange array of beverage, both alcoholic and plain. I didn’t purchase anything during this time around, but it was interesting to peak into.

Minor detour complete, I rounded the corner and saw the sea. A black, thrashing tide rolled over jagged stones with lone walls extending into the water. In the distance, light diminished by salted mists, there twinkled Naples across the bay. I spent a long moment watching this distant mark, reveling in the salted air. But eventually, my stomach began rumbling, and I wheeled around to return to town.

Lingering Meal

One of the things no human with taste buds can ever fault in Italy is the country’s culinary culture. The nation, famously, knows how to make a meal a fully worthwhile experience.

I returned to the center of Portici where I stopped at the small, brightly-lit church of Santuario San Ciro. Afterwards, my feet led me past a series of shops to dine at La Locanda Di Marco E Antonio.

I had the restaurant entirely to myself, which proved a delight. Soft music played on speakers and I was wooed with a variety of breads and pastas. A house wine left me comfortably drowsy. After eating, I wanted to do nothing more than snuggle into an arm chair and stooze with a cat and book.

Satisfaction like that is rare in life. It’s worth loving when it comes along.

My evening finished, I slumped home and cuddled under a crushing but warm number of blankets. Before the folds of fabric had settled, I fell asleep.

Ash of Herculaneum

The following morning, I arose early hoping to see some of the other unique features of the region. If there is any single attraction directly accessible from Portici, it’s Herculaneum.

Herculaneum is an ancient Roman city, fully blanketed under volcanic ash and pumice during the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

While Pompeii is the more famous of the ash-uncovered cities, Herculaneum was the original town discovered and carefully excavated. I was eager to check it out. Bent against a fine, misty drizzle, I hiked towards the ruins.

On the way, I stopped at another pair of rather unique attractions. Reggia di Portici, a former royal palace in Portici, is a surprisingly lovely yellow building with arches, statues and ocean overlooks. Further inland, the palace is also home to Orto Botanico di Portici, a neatly segmented botanical garden worthy of a stop.

While I loved this brief morning breather immensely, I didn’t grant it the time it was due. I was jittery with excitement at the idea of Herculaneum, so pressed onwards instead of lingering. I suspect this was a mistake, but such are the temporal sacrifices travelers must make on time-sensitive vacations.

Time-Sunken City

I eventually arrived to the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum, purchasing a ticket and wandering over the large bridge that allows access to the park. Herculaneum, prior to its excavation, was under an immense amount of volcanic soil. This effectively put the ruins in a huge pit, surrounded by more modern features of the city.

This provides rather impressive initial overlooks of the ruins. I cheerfully gazed down into the wide range of buildings, my finger exhausting itself early with photos.

Before fully entering Herculaneum, it’s worth learning about the city’s history and current state, as it’s far more compelling than I would’ve ever believed.

Firstly, it’s generally wise for travelers to visit Herculaneum prior to Pompeii. Herculaneum is far denser in terms of structures, has numerous sites that are preserved differently and is much easier to walk around. Pompeii is enormous, a veritable city. But Herculaneum is more of a moderately sizeable town, meaning guests can experience it fully in a shorter amount of time. This is especially vital because Pompeii, with it’s size and sprawling, gridded streets, has the potential of causing a bit of ruin fatigue. Herculaneum has no such issues, making it my highly-recommended first stop.

Naturally, Herculaneum is enormously well preserved. The ashfall which blanketed the town protected it against looting and the elements. This ash and volcanic material was especially unique, since it carbonized after it’s settling. This preserved numerous wooden objects such as roofs, beds, and doors, as well as other organic-based materials such as food and papyrus. The value of this cannot be overstated, as it gave a in-depth look at life in ancient Rome in a way that no number of stone ruins ever could.

While all of this is vastly interesting, it’s the preserved lifestyle which makes this site so endlessly valuable. Herculaneum, while a wealthy city, wasn’t far removed from the life of a standard Roman. It isn’t a vaunted castle, palace or fortress. Nor is it an especially unique model of a Roman civilization. This increases the immense value of this ruin. The site has provided true, attainable glimpses regarding life for actual, average Roman citizens.

For archeologists, information like this is beyond invaluable.

The Unmangled Black Boat

Entering Herculaneum involves following an upper causeway past a series of museums prior to entering the city. The museums are rather splendid, the first of these holding an actual, intact ancient Roman boat.

Preserved ancient wooden vessels are especially rare in the Mediterranean which has a diverse and wet climate. However, one such ship was safeguarded by pyroclastic flows, sealing the boat into volcanic material. This material hardened, blocked out oxygen and caused the boat to remain preserved.

Due to the carbonization process, the boat weighed over four tons, requiring a creative sealing process with fiberglass and an iron cradle to successfully restore the vessel. The black frame of the boat has a slightly unreal feel to it, a combination of form, time, darkness and longevity. The boat can be found in the Padiglione della Barca museum.

Following my time viewing the boat, I visited the nearby Antiquarium di Ercolano. This museum was filled with preserved artifacts, including numerous statues and various facts regarding Herculaneum. Here, I learned about the lives of freedmen, landowners, businessmen and shopkeepers. Jumbles of coins were scattered through displays. There were also golden plates, old combs, delicate earrings, rings, jewlery, warped statues, goblets, vases, small cups and other tools native to life.

My favorite sculpture within was called “Drunken Hercules.” It naturally depicts a marble Hercules with his famed club and lion’s skin, in the midst of performing a lewd solo act.

After wandering halls solemnly, looking at the lives and livelihoods both destroyed and preserved by Vesuvius, it was nice having an unexpected reason to giggle.

A Wealth of Mosaics

For the remainder of my morning, I continued to explore the Roman site. It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of the city is still underground. Excavation and preservation projects have pivoted away from uncovering new ruins, instead focusing on shoring up existing structures. As much of the city is a multi-layered series of stately buildings, I can’t fault the decision.

Over the next hours, I scurried around, spotting whatever I could. A pair of sleepy-eyed cats kept me sporadic company during my walks. I poked my head into the Suburban Baths, visited a vast number of mansions and houses and walked across tiled mosaics pattered during antiquity.

One of the strange features about Roman heritage is the concept of marble. Much of Rome’s legacy, in popular imagination, is derived from the pale stone, showcasing figures in dynamic poses. It makes Roman artwork seem pale, delicate and somewhat untouchable. When people picture ancient Rome, many do so with images of white walls, statues and pillars.

However, modern technology has shifted this. The Romans were great importers and crafters of dyes and paints. Statues were painted, as were walls. One of the wonderful things about Herculaneum is the wide range of artworks still found on walls, especially when considering the wild spread of colors upon them.

The Sacello degli Augustali was a cracked alcove with rich blues, soft reds and regal yellows. The House of Neptune and Amphitrite showed strange figures encased in pattered, royal blues and pale frames. Casa del Rilievo di Telefo rose with ruddy reds framed against narrow trees.

At the end of it all, the Romans were not so distant from us. They were, by and large, utterly human. And therefore lives in hues, not stark marble abodes.

Herculaneum before Pompeii

After a few hours passed, I opted to depart the amazing city. I highly recommend travelers in the area visit Herculaneum prior to visiting Pompeii. It’s more centrally located in relation to Naples, the ruins are more intimate to explore, the chemical makeup of the preservative ash and volcanic material allows for different items to remain intact and, overall, I think it’s a comfortably swift place to visit without succumbing to ruin fatigue.

After leaving the ruins, I stopped for a late lunch before heading onwards to explore other parts of the world. I hadn’t truly immersed myself in Naples, so I knew I would spend the rest of my day there.

I quickly trotted to the train station and waited calmly. Considering the surprising number of activities in Portici, I’ll end my post here. But going onwards, I’m looking forward to seeing the entirety of Naples firsthand.

So until then,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written November 29th. 2023

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