Submitted by Jessica Sugarman on the 2014 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
Today was our first full day in Italy! We woke up at 7 am so that at 8 am we could leave to get to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. At Pompeii, we met with Carmine, our tour guide. He was hysterical! He showed us the Forum, the Public Baths, and the Big and Small Theatre, among other things. We ended up having a three hour tour!! One thing that surprised me was how similar American cities are to Pompeii. Pompeii uses a grid system for their streets, just as many modern cities do today. Pompeii also has sidewalks, used for pedestrians, and roads for carriages. Pompeii has large, elevated stepping stones at the end of every street, used for pedestrians who need to cross the street, and to make sure that on rainy days citizens would not have to walk in the wet road. We have kept many of these customs in our cities and have followed the traditions of those before us. I was glad to realize that seeing Pompeii reminded me in many ways of New York City (where I am from!) and of other cities from home.
