Volcano Vesuvius: the most famous volcano in Europe

Even if the volcano Vesuvius did not show any activity, falling asleep forever, stories, legends and traditions associated with his name would already be more than enough for the whole mountain system. But he only pretends to be sleeping, constantly reminding himself of either an earthquake or thick puffs of smoke escaping from his vent or creeping along the slopes. This means that the history of Vesuvius as an active volcano continues.

Where is Mount Vesuvius

If you know where Naples is located, then there will be no problem finding out where Mount Vesuvius is. It is located just 15 km southeast of Naples, on the coast of the Gulf of Naples. The geographic coordinates of the volcano Vesuvius are 40 ° 49ʹ17ʹʹ north latitude and 14 ° 25ʹ32ʹʹ east longitude.

The height of the volcano is 1281 m. Its crater consists of three nested cones. The oldest - Monte Somma - is an arcuate rampart on the northern and eastern slopes. The second cone is inside the Monte Somme, and the third appears and disappears in the depths of the crater after strong eruptions.

Vesuvius Volcano is considered quite an old volcano

However, due to the fact that the soil on the slopes of the volcano was always fertile, people settled in its vicinity even after the most terrible cataclysms. Today, right at the foot of Vesuvius, is the small coastal town of Torre Annunziata. It is possible that both the inhabitants of this town and the million-strong population of Naples are reassured by the fact that the activity of the volcano is constantly monitored by specialists of the observatory, which is located on its western slope, at an altitude of 600 m. The observatory was founded back in 1842, when after a series of eruptions in XVII -XVIII centuries. it finally became clear that things were bad with Vesuvius.

Volcano Vesuvius It is considered a fairly old volcano, as evidenced by its relatively small height, despite the fact that 100 years ago it was at least 20 meters higher. But he is not going to give up his positions, confidently entering the five of the most legendary volcanoes in the world, along with the Caucasian Ararat and Elbrus, the Mexican Popocatepetl and the "neighbor" Etna.

What is famous for the volcano Vesuvius

We say "The Last Day of Pompeii" - we mean Vesuvius. And vice versa. But he gained his fame long before classical antique times. The emergence of the word "Vesuvius", some scientists associate with the word fest ("smoke"), which came into modern language from the Osk language, disappeared several hundred years before our era, others - with the pre-Indo-European root ves- ("mountain"), which could appear in the speech of our ancestors millennia ago.

Scientists suggest that a volcanic eruption may occur in the next 10 years

According to one legend, there, where is Mount Vesuvius, and worked the ancient Roman god of fire and blacksmithing Volcano. In 73 BC its slopes "sheltered" the rebellious slaves led by Spartacus. The battle of Vesuvius made it clear to Rome that runaway gladiators also know how to hold a siege and conduct full-scale military operations.

As to his beloved brainchild, Lord William Hamilton (husband of the famous Emma Hamilton, Nelson's mistress) treated Vesuvius. It was he who published the book “Scorched Fields” in 1776, the first significant scientific work on volcanology. Publications were preceded by long-term observations of Vesuvius, with Hamilton watching him directly from his own villa "Angelica", built on one of the slopes.

Volcano Vesuvius has become one of the cultural symbols. So, the French writer and diplomat Chateaubriand, who visited the volcano at the beginning of the XIX century, described it as "a spectacle of primeval chaos with light animation." With the light hand of the artist and poet Wilhelm Tishbein, a friend of Goethe, whom the volcano, on the contrary, was not impressed with, the comparison of Vesuvius with fireworks and carnival became one of the common places in the art of the late XVIII century.

The inhabitants of the town of Torre Annunziata have always been attracted by fertile soil on the slopes of Vesuvius

In 1880, for tourists wishing to climb to the top of the volcano, a funicular was built, which existed in various modifications until 1944, until the last eruption. One of the best Neapolitan songs "Funiculi, Funicula", which was included in the active repertoire of the best opera singers of the world (M. Lanza, P. Domingo, L. Pavarotti), remained in memory of this funicular music fan of the whole world.

The most famous eruptions of the volcano Vesuvius

The creator of Natural History, one of the main surviving ancient sources, Pliny the Elder, died on August 24, 79, trying to save his friends. That is, during the most famous eruption of the volcano Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. The type of eruption, when a huge column of fire suddenly erupts from the crater, was called the Plinian. According to the most conservative estimates, then every tenth inhabitant of these cities died, and this is more than 2,000 people.

Ashes during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79g. flew even to Egypt and Syria

But the first, relatively accurately dated eruption, occurred around 6940 BC. After eruptions of the volcano Vesuvius, which happened about 3800 years ago, the territory on which modern Naples is located was completely covered by lava flows and covered with ashes.

After 79, Vesuvius pretended to be asleep for a millennium. He woke up only on December 16, 1631. During this eruption, according to various sources, from 4,000 to 18,000 people died: the surrounding cities and villages were extremely overpopulated. In the second half of the XVIII century. Mount Vesuvius raged "in full": the eruptions followed literally one after another: in 1767, 1779, 1794. Later he woke up with a frequency of 40-50 years: in 1822, 1872, 1906 and 1944.

In Pompeii preserved streets and houses, the remains of dead people and animals

Scientists currently suggest that eruptions of Vesuvius may occur in the next 10 years. In particular, frequent earthquakes in the region and an increase in magma activity in the depths of the crater of the volcano testify to this.

How to get to Vesuvius

Getting to the only active volcano in mainland Europe is easy. A car equipped with a distinct navigator capable of recognizing coordinates of the volcano Vesuvius, takes a curious traveler along the A3 highway from Naples to his destination in a matter of minutes. Trains running at a short interval from the city station, in Garibaldi Square, dominate the tourist to the Ercolano-Scavi intermediate station in just 10-15 minutes. From the station to the starting point of ascent, travelers will have to transfer to a minibus (travel time is about 30 minutes).

In order not to waste time on transfers, you can choose a direct bus route from Naples. To do this, you will have to get to Piedigrott Square, from where buses leave daily at 9.00 and at 10.15. The final stop is Vesuvius National Park, travel time is about 1.5 hours. Buses run towards the city, respectively, at 12.30 and at 14.00.

You can get to Vesuvius by bus from Naples

If you decide to spend the night after a tour of Pompeii at a hotel nearby, and left climbing Mount Vesuvius in the morning, you will have to get to Amphitheater Square in the ancient city, where you can catch a bus. The working hours of the route are from 8.00 to 11.20. Travel time to the volcano is about an hour.

Another way visit Vesuvius from Naples - together with the guide. It will turn out even more interesting, since the guide knows all the points that are worth seeing on the volcano, which will save a lot of time. You can also find such a guide on BlogoItaliano - Valentina, who conducted an excursion for me in Naples, carries tourists to Vesuvius. And the impression of getting to know her and contact can be found in the article Naples Tour: review of the guide on BlogoItaliano.