Naples. What a beautiful city.
Despite the heat, everything was great. Although I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to rent a scooter while teenage kids were riding around on their scooters: did they even have driver’s license? Anyway, another thing that caught my attention was the subconscious phallic behavior people had. I was walking around on the streets of Naples and there was a guy talking to a friend scratching his wiener. I looked the other way to avoid that image and there was another guy doing the same thing! People didn’t seem to be bothered by that phallic behavior and I couldn’t understand it. That changed a bit when I went to Pompeii.
There’s much to see in that ruined city. There were many little symbols on the houses, totemic figures: all in the shape of a masculine organ. Our guide explained, the phallic symbol on houses and shops were signs of fertility and good fortune.
However, those symbols had a sexual meaning in other contexts, she explained as she took us to the old brothel. She could not stop telling us how macho the Roman Empire used to be – I agree with her. She explained that the explicit pictures in the brothel were addressed to all the merchants – who didn’t speak Latin – that used to stop by Pompeii. That way they could request the desired service.
As a tourist, you’re usually looking up. Suddenly, the guide stopped in the middle of the street and she pointed down. Carved on the pavement of that Roman street, there it was again, a penis. Our guide explained that it was pointing towards the brothel, showing the way to those who didn’t speak Latin. So that’s when I thought that one of the reasons for the subconscious phallic behavior in Naples could be linked to their more than a millennium old culture.
While in Pompeii, I learned that all the big statues and treasures were taken to the archaeological museum in Naples. So, I went there. Everything from the life of these people was in those museum galleries. Wandering in the museum, I went inside a gallery and there it was: sexuality hidden away and shown. The gallery was full of pictures, woodcraft and pottery with a phallic form. The most amusing side of it was this young woman contemplating all those objects: hypnotized; with a big smile on her face. I was amazed by the time she spent looking at some objects and pictures in that manner.
I wonder: what could have been going through her mind? I took pictures of the murals, woodcraft and objects she was most interested in. Maybe you could look at those murals from this young woman’s perspective and tell me: what do you think could have been going through her mind?
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awsom view from city
Indeed, it is. It's very different though when you move around its little streets.
upvoted&followed :)
Thanks.
Hahaha...laughed about the phallic behaviour! Thanks for the post. Hope to visit Napoli soon :) Followed you :) We do travel vlogs on YouTube and would like to make some connections on Steemit! Please follow us back so we can be friends :) Looking forward for your posts
Thanks! I'm following back.
Hi @alfromswarm! Great post and thanks for alerting me to it! I once passed through Naples briefly while traveling in Italy, and also felt it to be quite testosterone-fueled though I put it down to it being a port town - you know what sailors are like!
Taking a cab ride was interesting/terrifying as their main roads seemed to have three lanes - one for each direction and a third for overtaking in both directions. Hence each time our taxi driver overtook another car he's be accelerating into oncoming traffic and trying to find a gap, while drivers coming the other way did the same. It was like a joust or a game of 'chicken'.
Great photos of Pompeii, I sadly never had time to visit so these are fascinating to look at, and very interesting to note how the macho behavior has filtered into the local culture! Looking forward to more posts from you!
Hi surrealist. Glad you liked my post. Man! I had forgotten about the cab rides lol! Indeed, taking a cab there can be a bit frightening. In the end, I ended up walking most of the time: that's why the heat wasn't so pleasant.
I think the macho culture didn't only spread locally there from the Roman Empire but pretty much from many sources and to the whole western world. Moreover, that good old Roman Empire set a large part of the tone of culture to the whole western world then and now!
Anyway, thanks for the encouragements.