Just When You Thought Eating Out Was Dead
Let’s face it, COVID has changed the way we approach dining out. For months here in Italy, the bars and restaurants have been closing at 6:00pm and for quite a while, most establishments could only offer take-out. Let me just say we miss going out, but living in Italy has its advantages. The quality of the food is excellent and most Italian families have someone at home who has super-human culinary skills.
And just when you thought eating out was dead, something miraculous happened recently!
Someone Found a "New" Snack Bar in Pompeii!
Yes my friends, the archeologists in Pompeii recently announced the discovery of an incredibly well-preserved “snack bar” that they began unearthing in 2019. This is a really exciting find because, first of all, it’s beautiful! The counters are decorated with paintings of mythic characters and of animals that were served at the establishment. Also, this particular snack bar contains remnants of some of the street food that the ancient Pompeians enjoyed. It’s a time capsule dating back to the day Vesuvius destroyed the city in mid-October 79 AD!
The paintings on the counter include two mallard ducks, a rooster, wines and other foods. A duck bone fragment was found inside one of the containers, along with fragments of swine, goats, fish and land snails, indicating the great variety of products of animal origin used in the preparation of the dishes.
The Snack Bar of Regio V - A Cool Video
This is an excellent video describing the snack bar. I think you’ll really like it.
Some Other Thoughts about Pompeii
Virginia and I were fortunate to go on an organized tour in southern Italy in November, 2019. We visited Naples and Salerno, two wonderful cities, but I have to say, Pompeii was the highlight of the trip. There are a lot of ancient cities, monuments and works of art to see in Italy but there’s something powerfully “human” about Pompeii.
My most sincere hope is that in the not-so-distant-future, you will be able to come and visit Italy. If you do, you need to put Pompeii on your list of places to see. For now, I hope these pictures will give you a sense of this amazing place!
Everyone is familiar with its tragic destruction after the eruption of the volcano, Vesuvius . As you wander the ancient streets and look into the homes and shops, you have to wonder what it must have been like to live in such an amazing, vibrant and beautiful city.
The pictures below were taken at an exhibit in Rome called Pompeii and Santorini – Eternity in a Day which we visited in December 2019. These frescoes and other artifacts have been removed from Pompeii and are preserved in the National Archeological Museum of Naples. These are truly precious things that show the artistry and brilliance of Pompeii!
