Hello again, Blogonauts! Today, let’s give the notice due to the long departed … and their delightful leavings. As a rule, the legacies of natural tragedies quickly fade. Disasters of human origin (wars, terrorism, assassinations, and the like) receive centuries and volumes of debate and analysis. But when Mother Nature strikes, she often sweeps away the evidence. Earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, and usually even volcanoes leave scant evidence of the pre-existing peoples and civilizations they destroy. And shockingly soon, nature or the human survivors rebuild and repopulate the territory. There are, however, exceptions to calamity's quick slip from memory. Which brings me to August of 79 C.E. (a.k.a. 79 A.D.). During that fateful summer Naples' neighboring Mount Vesuvius blew its volcanic stack … and left a legacy that took more than a millennium to discover. It is important to note that in art that predates this eruption, Vesuvius was drawn as a towering mass of mountain, seemingly about twice as high as its current 4,200-foot elevation. This geographic giant had remained largely asleep for an estimated 1,200 years. Those living in its shadow had no way to see that their occasional earthquakes, which were problematic enough in their own time, were also signs of the pyroclastic power lying beneath Vesuvius’ base. But on August 24 & 25, Vesuvius awoke with world-changing power. The upper parts of the mountain were reduced to rubble and blown (as ash and pumice) up to 18 miles upward into the sky, before being carried south by the wind and falling back to earth. In Pompeii, the weight of the fallout collapsed rooftops and the hot gas asphyxiated residents. The village of Herculaneum turned from a coastal fishing village into an inland ruin, covered many meters deep with mud and silt. This tragic occurrence would have joined the long list of lost calamities were it not for the sudden and complete burial of the towns. Post-renaissance Italians rediscovered the volcanic tombs and found them to be a nearly perfect time capsule of first century Roman life. Excavation revealed paintings, sculptures, tools, pottery, and even some human and animal remains. I've given this probably too lengthy intro because the life of life, death, burial, rediscovery, and excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum are so extraordinary. Almost 2000 years ago, a mountain explosively dismantled itself, threw its bits all over the region. Then about 1500 years, the daily lives of its hapless victims are laid bare once again. We scored a three-fer on Monday, first visiting the ruins of the small village of Herculaneum before driving and hiking to the current peak of Mt. Vesuvius. (The views from the edge of the rim of still smoky cone are spectacular.) them we spent a couple of hours wandering the excavated streets of Pompeii. When Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was home to more than 20,000 residents and had a vibrant and seemingly prosperous existence. Much of it remains unexcavated. The walls of both cities still hold much of the decorative artwork that the residents used to enhance their lives. There are corner restaurants where stews were offered for sale to passers-by. Bakeries, complete with wheels to grind the flour and ovens to bake the bread are still recognizable. And the forum, temples and theaters where people gathered for events are at least partially still in existence. You can experience some of the wonder in the photos. Yet understand, the pictures give only partial testimony to both the tragic devastation and the amazing insight into the lives of ancient Romans. Next, the near-vertical coast of the Mediterranean.