Naples, Italy (October 2, 2025)
I’m not a huge museum guy. Sure, I enjoy a good museum from time to time and a few of them have really inspired me, informed me and even changed my thinking. But generally, I don’t seek out museums when I visit a new city. So when Elena asked if I was interested in joining her as she visited the Mann Museum in Naples, I hesitated. For one, Violet was hanging back and I was feeling the urge to relax myself.
But as we just arrived in Naples, I also wanted to get out and see a bit of the city and this would give me an excuse to spend some quality time with Elena doing something that I know she truly loves. Elena LOVES museums, that knowing that was enough for me, so I opted to join her.
Mann Museum Selfie In Front of a Pompeii Perfect Statue
What I did not know before I agreed to join Elena is that the bulk of the preserved artifacts from Pompeii are preserved here in this museum — and there are many, many artifacts worth seeing.
Because Pompeii was buried in volcanic ash for centuries, the marble statues were perfectly preserved and totally intact before being discovered. No thefts. No vandalism. No penisis broken off by prudish religious members. No destruction of statues via political party payback. Nor even just the brutal impact of regular and natural weather conditions taking their toll.
Buried under ash and dirt was a treasure trove of ancient artifacts relatively well preserved. Once discovered, they were cleaned up and well protected so that they could be put on display.
Bill striking a pose in front of Mars, the God of War
So many well-preserved statues of marble It appears that the volcanic ash has very litle negative impact on marble statues as evidence by the plethora of artifacts left here on display.
Two beautiful ladies: Aphrodite and Elena
And as we continued through this museum, the artwork became more and more breathtaking. For example, these mosaics from the first 100 years AD were incredible.
And then we stumbled onto the more controversial sexual content, sometimes called pornographic. Many wanted this part to “stay buried” in Pompeii while others see it as a way to understand how little has changed in the last 2,000 years (other than the stories of the mythical gods and their part in all of this).
And lastly, as we wrapped up our time in the museum, we walked through what some of the more famous paintings found in Pompeii and their importance such as:
An educated woman who could read and write
Another educated couple displaying their commitment to studying
Think about how important having these paintings that are about 2,000 years old. There are still parts of the world today where women do not have the right to an education. In 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for her advocacy for girls' education. Despite the severe head injury, Malala survived and went on to become a global symbol for girls' rights, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Such an important reminder when we look at paintings such as these that it wasn’t always this way. The right to education has been foundational in many societies and has been so for more than two millenium. This is a good reminder of that.
On the way home from the museum, Elena and I found something that would make Violet very, very happy:
Violet’s reaction when I pulled my “surprise” out of my bag for her
What is it? Elena and I went by a candy store in Naples. There were many great options, but one caught my eye that I knew Violet would love so I bought it without giving it a second thought.
Violet holding up her 10 pack of Snickers. That ought to last a day!
Overall, good first day in Naples. Tomorrow we scuba dive in our first underwater ruins. Sounds super cool and we’re all excited for it.
