Vesuvius

See more Volcanoes. Near to Naples (14.38 km) in Italy.

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‘Vesuvius’

This is probably the worlds best known volcano. As well as visiting Pompeii and seeing the damage a volcano can do to a city, Vesuvius is an impressive backdrop for any trip. It’s also relatively easy to get to, you can drive up to within 200 metres of the summit. You then have to climb almost vertically on a spiralling walkway to get to the rim, but it’s worth it.

4 / 5 Review by expert member Hamish Holl

‘Vesuvius’

Vesuvius used to erupt regularly but has been quiet since its last eruption in 1944. This is the famous volcano that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D. and thus is a must-see for volcanophiles as well as anyone interested in history. The ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the many paintings and artifacts from there on display in the nearby Naples Archaeological Museum, are endlessly fascinating. In addition to the fantastic wall paintings (such as those in the Villa dei Misteri near Pompeii) one can

contemplate shops, bars, bath-houses, and palatial estates, all of which were buried by blisteringly hot pyroclastic flows from Vesuvius. Even the death throes of its victims can be seen: at Pompeii, plaster casts of human and animal victims were made by pouring plaster into holes in the ash where bodies had fallen, showing details of clothing and even facial expression. In Herculaneum, humans and animals alike sought shelter in boathouses and were incinerated there; their skeletons can now be seen in the positions in which they died. In both places the tableau of bodies huddled together in positions reflecting agony and terror are poignant testimonials to this horrific natural disaster of ancient times. Vesuvius is easily climbed, as a road goes most of the way up; at the top, there are great vistas of the Bay of Naples, and one can gaze down into Vesuvio’s precipitous, simmering crater to contemplate when it will go off again.

5 / 5 Review by expert member Mike Lyvers