Mount Doom

There's only one place to start, isn't there?

It's the one thing that dominates the Bay of Naples, both physically, and historically:  Mount Vesuvius.  It's the only active volcano left in mainland Europe, and as well as wiping out three Roman cities (Pompeii, Herculaneum and -the other one - Stabia) it now seems that it also managed to engulf Bronze Age occupation sites around the area.

Here's the view from Sorrento, which I suspect wouldn't be out of the firing line should Vesuvio blow its top big time:-

And from Herculaneum, where its ominous presence looms above the ruins of the Roman town, and the modern houses of Ercolano:-


 

I've always wanted to scale a live volcano, so when I heard you could catch a bus to within 200m of the top, I jumped at the chance.  I thought it prudent to do this early in the trip, partly in case the weather broke, but mainly so I could pay my respects to the mountain well in advance.

Vesuvius is about the size of a Munro, but not easily accessible on foot.  The final walk is quite a long winding slog, but it's well worth it.  On the day of our visit, steam was issuing from the rocks at various points (look to the right):-

 

But more sinister by far was the evidence of earlier eruptions which could be seen on the ascent.  Vesuvius has hissy fits on a regular basis  - according to my guidebook, eruptions were recorded in 1822, 1855, 1858, 1861, 1872, 1906 and 1929, and these are just those known from 1800 onwards.  This is probably a good thing - if the pressure keeps easing every few decades, then it probably won't be building up for a big one.

Human beings what they are, they keep encroaching closer and closer to the mountain, despite its having last erupted in living memory.  The last eruption was in 1944, and it wiped out an outlying part of Naples.  The lava flows can still be seen, livid black scars across the landscape:-

 

Dormant it may be, but extinct it certainly is not.  We'll be hearing more from Vesuvio in the next few years or decades, I'm sure.  But don't let that put you off visiting!  It's well worth the trip (I recommend getting the bus from Pompeii), and it's possible to spot Pompeii from the top, though sadly I didn't manage to do so.  Next time, perhaps...

Mount Doom

There's only one place to start, isn't there?

It's the one thing that dominates the Bay of Naples, both physically, and historically:  Mount Vesuvius.  It's the only active volcano left in mainland Europe, and as well as wiping out three Roman cities (Pompeii, Herculaneum and -the other one - Stabia) it now seems that it also managed to engulf Bronze Age occupation sites around the area.

Here's the view from Sorrento, which I suspect wouldn't be out of the firing line should Vesuvio blow its top big time:-

And from Herculaneum, where its ominous presence looms above the ruins of the Roman town, and the modern houses of Ercolano:-


 

I've always wanted to scale a live volcano, so when I heard you could catch a bus to within 200m of the top, I jumped at the chance.  I thought it prudent to do this early in the trip, partly in case the weather broke, but mainly so I could pay my respects to the mountain well in advance.

Vesuvius is about the size of a Munro, but not easily accessible on foot.  The final walk is quite a long winding slog, but it's well worth it.  On the day of our visit, steam was issuing from the rocks at various points (look to the right):-

 

But more sinister by far was the evidence of earlier eruptions which could be seen on the ascent.  Vesuvius has hissy fits on a regular basis  - according to my guidebook, eruptions were recorded in 1822, 1855, 1858, 1861, 1872, 1906 and 1929, and these are just those known from 1800 onwards.  This is probably a good thing - if the pressure keeps easing every few decades, then it probably won't be building up for a big one.

Human beings what they are, they keep encroaching closer and closer to the mountain, despite its having last erupted in living memory.  The last eruption was in 1944, and it wiped out an outlying part of Naples.  The lava flows can still be seen, livid black scars across the landscape:-

 

Dormant it may be, but extinct it certainly is not.  We'll be hearing more from Vesuvio in the next few years or decades, I'm sure.  But don't let that put you off visiting!  It's well worth the trip (I recommend getting the bus from Pompeii), and it's possible to spot Pompeii from the top, though sadly I didn't manage to do so.  Next time, perhaps...