This souvenir vase from a Roman resort suggests that even the ancients knew how to make a buck off a tourist. Purchased by an Italian traveler sometime in the third century A.D., the vase depicts the once popular vacation spots of Baiae and Puteoli (modern day Baia and Pozzuoli), neighboring communities about 8 miles north of modern Naples. The 7-inch-tall, 5-inch-wide vase is engraved with the words Anima Felix Vivas (roughly translated “May you live happy in spirit”). One side shows the main attractions of Baiae, including the city’s Imperial Palace, bathing pools dating from the reign of Nero, […]
