Herculaneum: Back on the Street

 After exiting the House of the Relief of Telephus, we were back on the main drag in Herculaneum again. The tunnel you see at the back of this photo leads back out to the beach and the statue of Marco Nonio Balbo. The walls of House of the Gem are on the left side of the photo. The doorway directly behind the head of the gentleman catching his breath is the entrance to the House of the Stags (HotS), also known as the House of the Deer or Casa dei Cervi in Italian. We'll go there next.

 In the meantime, let's turn our head to the right and look at a few of the smaller, less famous homes that line the street. Here is a wall with well preserved paint - note the small shade roof they have built to protect it.

 Another small home with nice decorative windows running along the top - this allows privacy yet lets in light. I still see windows like these in new homes being built today.

And finally, a couple more small yet tall rooms with modern steel framework supporting the ancient roofs. Italy is doing all it can to preserve this town for eternity...in some way it is a losing battle. But still one worth fighting.