Naples part VIII: Vesuvius

After my trip to Herculaneum I went up to see the old bastard that had buried the city all those years ago - the last active volcano on the European mainland: Vesusius. I never went all the way to the top, I was too cheap and too tired to park and walk the last distance, but I still got some nice pics of the area. The views from up there over the Bay of Naples are great.

The volcano had its last eruption in 1944, and has been quiet since then. Nobody knows if and when it'll blow again, but the experts think they'll be able to give fair warning these days and I hope for their sake and the sake of the thousands of people living on the slopes of that sleeping giant that they're right.

I also went up there a few days later, so some of the pics are taken in midday sunshine and some are taken at sunset. All Vesuvius pics here.

Naples.


The ole man hisself. Don't wake 'im!


These days the actual volcano is just a relatively small area on one of the peaks. Back when Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried, the caldea was much bigger and the mountain was higher. The old caldea is buried in ashes and rock and is now the home of a fertile landscape. I think this area was pretty much erased again in 1944, so what greenery you see here has grown since then.


Sunset over the bay.


Hell, yeah.