Vesuvius by toonsarah
Everyone has heard about how the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 destroyed the town of Pompeii, but Vesuvius isn?t just a story from history ? it?s a live volcano that broods over the city of Naples and the surrounding region today. You?ll see it from many parts of the city, especially down by the bay. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, and is still regarded as an active volcano although it is currently dormant. However, it has erupted many times since the famous destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, most recently in 1944, and is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3 million people who live close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions.When you look carefully at the mountain, especially from the side by the sea (e.g. if passing on the Circumvesuvio train as we did several times) you can see that it is in fact a cone within a cone. The central cone is known as Gran Cono, and this is partially encircled by the steep rim of a caldera caused by the collapse of an earlier, and originally much higher structure called Monte Somma. The Gran Cono was produced during the eruption of 79. Its has been constantly changed by eruptions but is currently 1,281 m (4,202 ft).
I love mountains generally but there was something a little disconcerting looking up at this brooding presence and remembering just what power is locked inside it. I found myself wondering if the people of Naples ever think about the time-bomb waiting to explode just a few miles from their homes, or if they?re so used to it that they don?t give it a second thought as they go about their lives. Maybe though it is precisely this life lived on the edge that gives these people their energy and passion?
