Climbing Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy

A Trip Up Europe's Most Famous Volcano

Mount Vesuvius looms over the southern Italian landscape. Its 4,100-foot silhouette is visible from nearly every part of the Naples coastline. At night, lights from homes and cars sparkle almost halfway up the mountain's sloping sides. No one can look at this huge volcano without thinking about its infamous eruptions, especially the eruption of 79 A. D., which buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Climbing Mount Vesuvius is even more amazing than gazing at its peaks from below. Hiking to the summit makes a great daytrip from Naples, Sorrento or the southern part of the Lazio region. The adventure of climbing the volcano will be more comfortable and enjoyable if you know what to expect and bring along.

Ancient and Amazing

For most of us, the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A. D. is the only historic event we can connect to Mount Vesuvius. Ancient Romans did not believe that Mount Vesuvius was an active volcano. They did not realize that the earthquakes they felt in August of 79 were signs of an impending eruption. The two-day eruption, which began on August 24, took the citizens of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples completely by surprise.

The famous historian and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, died in the eruption. Fortunately, he was able to write down his observations and send them to his nephew, Pliny the Younger, before he perished. Pliny the Younger also wrote of his own experiences during the eruption in letters to the Roman historian Tacitus. Both men described an incredible column of gas, smoke and ash, as well as flying debris and rocks that fell from the sky. The pyroclastic flow from the eruption completely buried Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Mount Vesuvius has erupted many times since 79 A. D. The eruption of 1631 was particularly destructive; over 4,000 people died. Today, Italian disaster preparedness experts base their evacuation and response plans for a future eruption on this event.