In 79 AD the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was engulfed in sixty feet of ash and pumice unleashed by Mount Vesuvius. The eruption lasted two days and it wasn't until 1748 that Pompeii was rediscovered. During the first intermission of our tripleheader (see below), my dad, sister, and I took the Circumvesuviana from Napoli to Pompeii for some much needed exploring/exercising. How else would we build up an appetite for two more pizza stops?

Thanks to Italy's dedication to history, Pompeii was excavated and is now a popular tourist attraction. Walking the streets of Pompeii was not only exciting, but also gave me the chills. History will do that to you. I felt like a detective trying to figure out how people lived almost 2,000 years ago.

I was scouring Pompeii for one reason and one reason only - to find an ancient brick oven that I read about in one of my pizza books. You can tell from the pictures that I eventually found one of the biggest ovens you'll ever see. I could've stood up inside this masonry masterpiece. It was huge and no question serviced the whole town. I was in awe.
Usually, new technologies and inventions fly by and we find ourselves asking "what will they come up with next?" We're reluctant to buy things like computers, TV's, and cameras because we're afraid a more advanced product will hit the shelves a week later. A brick oven is completely different. It was and still is the best way to cook thousands of years later. Technology will never surpass the way a brick oven can blister a crust, enhance a sauce, and amplify the whole taste of a pizza. After seeing the ovens in Pompeii, the fact that I can cook in my backyard and "do what the Romans do" never ceases to amaze me.

-Alberto