CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Enzo, that was delicious,” said Tailor, leaning back in his seat as he rubbed his belly.
“You should know,” grinned Baptiste, “you had five plates.”
“I’m a growing boy,” he laughed. Enzo raised his brows, shaking his head.
“Sir, if you grow more, I will need to order a larger bed for you and your beautiful little wife.”
While the men laughed, the girls stood to retreat into the grand room to discuss their day trip tomorrow. The weather was turning slightly warmer, with sunshine and a light breeze. It was proving to be an amazing week for them. They laughed and talked about their day and the plans for the rest of the week, happy to be talking about something other than bombs and bullets.
With an evening of great food, delicious desserts, wine, and laughter, they turned in early so they could begin their trip early the next day.
The drive to Pompeii was a little over two hours, but the views were spectacular along the way. There was so much laughter and conversation they barely noticed the time. As they got off the bus, all eyes turned toward the two busloads of giant men and gorgeous women. Immediately, a young man walked toward them, smiling.
“Here we go,” muttered Alec.
“Bongiorno,” he smiled. “I am Giovanni. I believe you are my tour for today. Enzo sent you.”
“That’s right,” said Nine, eyeing the young man. He only grinned, shaking his head.
“It’s alright, sir. Enzo said that you are sensitive about Italian men calling your wives ‘bellas.’ Although they are beautiful, they are not what I seek in a mate,” he said with a wink.
“Ah,” nodded Ghost. “Good to know, but we’re trying to not be sensitive about that word.”
“It would be best if you were not,” he laughed. “Please, come closer. I have a microphone headset on, and you should all be able to hear me. This is not the busy season, so it is a good time for you to see the entire park. You are now standing in what was once a city. The city of Pompeii. In the distance there, you can see Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD, it erupted and buried the city beneath almost twenty feet of volcanic ash and pumice.”
“It’s remarkable,” said Kari.
“Yes,” he nodded. “What destroyed the city also protected it, burying everything and preserving it. It was a wealthy town of ten to twenty thousand residents at the time it was destroyed. It had many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings, and artworks. These things were what brought in excavators early in the preservation process.
“In spite of the intense heat of the volcano, organic objects such as wooden objects and human bodies were interred in the ash.”
He pointed to several prone skeletons still encased in their ash-covered graves. Wilson took a step closer, then stopped, realizing he couldn’t touch them.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said, shaking his head.
“What is truly incredible is to see these men, women, and children in their last moments of life,” said the young man. “They have their faces covered, their hands in prayer, or they chose to simply lie down and wait. After the eruption, nothing here was touched until the late 16 th century, and then excavations did not begin until the mid-18 th century. We have made great progress with the new methods of archaeology.
“You may know that Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is among the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5million visitors annually. Although, that is not always a good thing. Some visitors are not always kind to the park, touching things they should not. We worry that the visitors are doing more harm than good, but unfortunately, the fees to enter the park are what help us to discover more.”
“I understand that,” said Ro. “Preserving history, art, anything takes time and money, and it’s definitely a double-edged sword.”
Their young guide continued the tour, showing them the places where the gladiators would have lived and trained, the homes and businesses, and so much more. It was truly the most awe-inspiring place they’d ever been.
“I wanted to show you this one thing. Just a few short years ago, archaeologists discovered the remains of harnessed horses. It is remarkable to see, don’t you think?” They were so in awe by what they were looking at it was difficult to do anything but breathe. Nodding at him, he smiled and continued on. After three hours, he finally stopped where they had started the day.
“This is where I leave you,” he smiled. “I hope that I have helped you to understand what happened here at this site.”
“Giovanni, you have been unbelievably knowledgeable,” said Kari, hugging the young man. He laughed, hugging her in return.
“I should hope so. I am working on my PhD in history and writing a book about all of this. I’m close to completion but need to earn a little extra money to complete my research. It’s why I do this. For love, and like many things for money,” he laughed.
Gaspar and Nine looked at one another, then pulled out an envelope, counting out several thousand Euro. He shook his head in utter shock.
“Sir, I cannot,” he said, waving his hands.
“You can. In America, we tip for great service, and this tour was by far the best thing I’ve ever done in my life beyond marrying that woman over there,” smirked Nine. “This should help you finish your research. You were made to do this.”
As they all hugged their guide and waved goodbye, he cried with joy. He’d given them a recommendation for a seaside restaurant, and they were off for a late lunch.
“I’m still speechless over the whole thing,” said Ivan. “I remember being here as a kid with my aunt and uncle, but I guess I didn’t pay much attention.”
“We don’t have that kind of history in America,” said Angel. “Think about it. We’re technically not even three hundred years old as a nation. Yes, there are indigenous drawings, even the cave dwellings that still exist, but to find cities, that’s beyond our imagination.”
“He knew so much,” said Tory. “I almost couldn’t keep up with him. He knew so much about the history and the archaeological finds.”
“I hope he gets that PhD and lets us know when his book is published,” said Ghost.
“Welcome,” said the waiter, smiling at the table. “Giovanni called ahead for us to prepare. You are such a large group, we have prepared a number of dishes for you, all with seafood. I hope that is okay?”
“Perfect,” smiled Ian. “Today, everything is perfect.”
He could not have said anything more accurately. As platters of seafood and pasta were brought out, they indulged as if they hadn’t eaten all day. The appetizers, breads, antipasto, shellfish, fish, and so much more. It was simply spectacular.
“I feel like you need to roll me home,” said Erin. Nine laughed.
“Baby, you look amazing, and we still have some towns to visit on the way back to the villa. Take a nap on the bus, and I’ll wake you,” he said, kissing his wife.
“Alright,” she said, standing up, “but I’m going to need to buy stretchy pants if this continues.”