Photo courtesy of Carola Lovering, Colorado College.
Florence Program, Fall 2009
“Mount Vesuvius stands behind the remains of ancient Pompeii. I took this photograph as seen through a modern wire fence. To me, this represents the present’s disconnect from the past. You can see it and sense it, but you can never quite get to it. Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D. completely buried Pompeii. It was lost for over 1,500 years until its rediscovery in 1599. I feel this photograph captures how tourists today are “fenced out” from the true city of Pompeii. We can study the past in great depth, but can never fully know it in its own reality.”