My impression of Pompeii during my first visit was much like that of Mark Twain's. He found the city fascinating, yet terribly depressing. There are reminders of death everywhere. It is apparent that the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. caught the inhabitants totally by surprise. Destruction and death brought a horrifying end to a day that started out as pleasant as any other August day for Pompeii's citizens. |