Up at 7 to get ready for an early start to Pompei when it opened at 9, but it rained until 10.30am, so we caught a taxi in when it cleared. Pompei was vast, amazing in structure, architecture, size and lay out, large pebbles set in the roads with clear erosion lines from cart wheels. Terracotta mosaics in Villa dei Misteri were very vividly restored. We had a break for a late lunch Pizza , and then went back for more;we left there with a yen to see the sea once more, so caught a train to Torre Anunziata, the nearest point to the coast from Pompei, which was a delapidated coastal resort of Napoli with spooky back-streets. We caught the very crowded train back to Pompei, standing room only throughout the train, and watched with horrified fascination as a young, tall, well built, handsome, casually dressed man, perhaps in his late teens, moved towards one of the train exit doors as the train drew into our station stop, and tried his hardest to pickpocket and physically bully a younger boy waiting to get off ; the victim took prompt evasive action, moving several times in the crush; the pickpocket had a younger accomplice who thought it all great fun , watching the victim's discomfort ; as we exited the train further back in the crowd crush , we could see him desperate to get a handhold on anyone's belongings as they left the train ,his hands were everywhere... what was surprising was his boldness, his blatant and bullying semi-joking approach. He stayed on the train, presumably to try his luck with the next crowded exit ,we staggered home at 7 pm, worn out.
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