Mount Vesuvius

Vesuvius is a cone growing inside the remains of an older, larger volcano called Monte Somma, whose crescent rim still stands to one side. The eruption of AD 79 buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, and Pliny the Younger's letters describing it gave the term Plinian eruption to that violent column-forming type. The last eruption was in March 1944, filmed by Allied airmen stationed nearby. The crater rim path climbs from the car park in around thirty minutes on loose ash and cinder to about a thousand metres, looking into a crater roughly three hundred metres deep with fumaroles still venting.

History

The eruption of 79 AD buried the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae, throwing a cloud of stones, ash and gases 33 km high, and more than 1,000 people are thought to have died. The name was in frequent use among writers of the late Roman Republic and the early Empire, alongside forms such as Vesaevus, Vesevus and Vesbius (Wikipedia, Mount Vesuvius).

What you'll find

• The crater - a bowl about 300 metres deep with venting fumaroles.
• The Somma rim - the crescent of the older volcano beside the cone.
• The Bay of Naples view - the coast and islands from the rim path.
• The 1944 flows - lava fields from the most recent eruption.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the summit path closes in bad weather and high wind. Booking a timed slot is required and the site closes if cloud obscures it.

Good to know

The path is loose ash and cinder, steep and dusty, unsuitable for poor footwear. Closures for weather happen at short notice. Only the rim is accessible.

Nearby

Pompeii and Herculaneum lie below; Naples is west.

Key facts