Mount Vesuvius & The Pompeii Ruins

Arguably the best known volcano in history after leaving the ancient city of Pompeii in ruins, Mount Vesuvius rises 4,200 feet, overlooking the Bay of Naples on the plain of Campania in southern Italy.

More than two million people live in the area surrounding Mt. Vesuvius with more than a million living and working within 7 kilometres of the volcano. There are industrial towns along the coast of the Bay of Naples, small agricultural centres on the northern slopes and an ever-growing number of tourist facilities

Although a relatively young volcano, (around 200,000 years old), Vesuvius had been dormant for centuries before the great eruption of AD 79 that buried the cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum.

In 1631, several centuries of relative silence were broken when a series of earthquakes, lasting for six months and gradually increasing in severity, preceded a major eruption that took place on December 16 of that year. Many villages on the slopes of the volcano were destroyed and around 3,000 people were killed. The last severe eruption was in 1944.

Scientific study of the volcano didn't begin until late in the 18th century. In 1845 an observatory was opened at 2,000 ft. In the 20th century, numerous stations were set up at various heights for taking volcanologic measurements. A large laboratory and a deep tunnel for seismo-gravimetric measurements were also built.

The excellent Italian wine, Lacrima Christi, is produced here as the soil on the slopes of Vesuvius is very fertile, supporting the many prosperous orchards and vineyards which are scattered around the old Pompeii ruins.

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