{"id":8618,"date":"2016-03-02T14:22:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T13:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=8618"},"modified":"2024-12-23T06:57:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T06:57:32","slug":"visiting-mount-vesuvius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius","title":{"rendered":"Why You Shouldn&#8217;t Go to Pompeii Without Visiting Mount Vesuvius"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Every year millions of visitors come to the Bay of Naples to bask on the shores of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/pompeii-tours-from-rome\/\">Amalfi Coast<\/a> and stroll through the frozen-in-time streets of Pompeii. What few realize is that they are walking in the shadow of mainland Europe&#8217;s last active volcano.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Mount Vesuvius is famous for the AD 79 eruption that spewed rock and dust up to 20 miles into the air and buried\u00a0the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, but there is a lot more to its story. It is half natural monument, half symbol of the apocalypse; a mountain\u00a0that connects the\u00a0entire region with equal parts history, myth, and geology. Although nearly everyone who visits Italy stops off at\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pompeii at least once, few visitors know that the best way to top off their trip is by visiting Mt. Vesuvius. Those that do, however, enjoy spectacular views as well as a unique perspective on the relationship between the history of Italy and the volatile earth that it sits upon. If you&#8217;re planning your next trip to Italy, here are five very good reasons to stop by Mount Vesuvius<\/span>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4050\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4050\" class=\"wp-image-4050 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/the-Vesuvius-view-Naple.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/the-Vesuvius-view-Naple.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/the-Vesuvius-view-Naple-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-4050\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yes, that is Mount Vesuvius lurking in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\/#To_marvel_at_nature\" >To marvel at nature<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\/#To_fully_understand_what_happened_at_Pompeii\" >To fully understand what happened at Pompeii<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\/#To_see_modern_Italy_from_a_new_perspective\" >To see modern Italy from a new perspective<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\/#To_walk_in_the_footsteps_of_giants\" >To walk in the footsteps of giants<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/visiting-mount-vesuvius\/#To_have_a_thrilling_but_still_safe_adventure\" >To have a thrilling (but still safe) adventure<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_marvel_at_nature\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To marvel at nature<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vesuvius is among the most\u00a0well-known volcanos in the world (how many other volcanoes can you name?). But many people don&#8217;t realize that it&#8217;s also one of\u00a0the most picturesque and easily-accessed. It dominates the background of any view of the Bay of naples, lording over the landscape like a sleeping giant. It&#8217;s stunning from\u00a0afar, but if you truly want to appreciate its grandeur you have to visit Mount Vesuvius and take a hike around its massive crater, which is just 6 miles from Naples. The land\u00a0around Vesuvius was declared a national park in June 1995 (the <em>Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio<\/em>) and there are\u00a0nine separate nature walks around the volcano, although you can only walk the edge of the crater with a certified guide. One of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/all-around-italy\/a-guide-to-our-favorite-outdoor-adventures-in-italy\">Italy\u2019s best outdoors adventures<\/a><\/strong>, the crater\u2019s lunar landscape offers a completely different kind of hike to many in the country. Watch as steam from small vents inside the crater shoots up, reminding us that\u00a0while the volcano may currently be dormant, it certainly isn&#8217;t dead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_596\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-596\" class=\"wp-image-596 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude.jpg\" alt=\"One of the best views of Italy and a great photo op of Naples\" width=\"1000\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/View-of-gulf-of-Naples-Italy-from-Vesuvius-volcano-altitude-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-596\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Get this view of the Gulf of Naples&#8230; if you dare.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more great attractions close to Naples check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/naples\/day-trips-from-naples\"><strong>list of best day trips from Naples.<\/strong><\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/naples\/day-trips-from-naples\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_fully_understand_what_happened_at_Pompeii\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To fully understand what happened at Pompeii<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For a visceral thrill, peer down into Vesuvius&#8217; crater and try to imagine what it looked like on August 24th, AD 79 when, After hundreds of years of dormancy, it began to spew dust and rocks. Although many people escaped as the eruption continued, in an instant, an avalanche of lava and rock disgorged from the crater and raced down the mountainside. It hit Pompeii at 100 miles per hour, burying the town in an instant but also preserving it perfectly for 1,500 years. Of the many effects it had on the Roman Empire and world history, the eruption gave us the word &#8220;plinian&#8221; which vulcanologists use to describe large clouds of ash and dust released into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today Pompeii is one of the most important archeological digs in the world and if you want to visit, our <strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/pompeii\/guide-visiting-pompeii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Insiders&#8217; Guide on Pompeii <\/a><\/strong>has all the information you&#8217;ll need. But it&#8217;s only half the story: visiting Mount Vesuvius and learning its (much longer) history is the only way to really get an idea of the magnitude of the natural disaster and how it changed history as we know it. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22708\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22708\" class=\"wp-image-22708 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pompeii-body.jpg\" alt=\"decomposed body from Pompeii in case\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pompeii-body.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/pompeii-body-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-22708\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seeing the human remains found in Pompeii on display is just heartbreaking.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_see_modern_Italy_from_a_new_perspective\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To see modern Italy from a new perspective<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">99% of visitors look up at Mt. Vesuvius from vantage points near the bay of Naples; but trust us; the other way around is much better. Peering down on Pompeii, Naples, and all the way to the Amalfi Coast from the summit of Vesuvius will help you understand why this mountain was long considered a place of gods and monsters. It will also give you a sense of just how big the AD 79 eruption was, and how much devastation is caused. Did we mention that the view is also just plain gorgeous? You can spend as much time as you want on the summit soaking up the human and geological history of the mountain or you can simply sit back at the cafe and enjoy a cool drink and take in the sights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you feel like stopping off in Naples, don&#8217;t miss our<\/span> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/food-and-wine\/why-visit-naples-rome-day-trip-campania-italy\">guide to this rowdy, rollicking, and utterly irresistible city.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3224\" style=\"width: 2058px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3224\" class=\"wp-image-3224 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/IMG_1552-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Southern Italy - Amalfi Coast\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/IMG_1552-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/IMG_1552-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/IMG_1552-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3224\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On a clear day you can see the Amalfi Coast from the volcano.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_walk_in_the_footsteps_of_giants\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To walk in the footsteps of giants<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">When you hike the crater of Mount Vesuvius you tread the path of\u00a0the legendary hero, Hercules. According to pagan Roman tradition, the famously strong demigod cleared the area of bandits in between completing his 12 labors.\u00a0The facts, if any, are characteristically vague but we do know that the ancient Greeks and Romans regarded Mount Vesuvius as sacred, and that the town of Herculaneum at its base (also snuffed out by the AD 79 eruption)\u00a0was likely named after the ancient world&#8217;s most famous hero.\u00a0Both\u00a0Hercules\u00a0and Venus, the patroness of Pompeii, were worshipped in the region, so even if you don\u2019t believe\u00a0Hercules ever actually set foot on the\u00a0volcano, the land is still steeped in his myths and lore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12791\" style=\"width: 2058px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12791\" class=\"wp-image-12791 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/herculaneum-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/herculaneum-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/herculaneum-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/herculaneum-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-12791\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A wall mosaic of Neptune and Amphitrite found in the rubble of Herculaneum.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_have_a_thrilling_but_still_safe_adventure\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>To have a thrilling (but still safe) adventure<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Vesuvius is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. But\u00a0don&#8217;t run the other way just yet;\u00a0it\u2019s not because it could blow at any moment but because there are\u00a03 million people living under it, making the threat of any eruption even more dangerous. And threat of eruption there is. The finicky volcano has erupted dozens of times in its 18,000-year existence, the most recent of which was in 1944. the AD 79 eruption had more thermal power in it than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. On two separate occasions\u00a0ash from those plinian eruptions\u00a0has fallen as far away as present day Istanbul, over 750 miles away! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While all this sounds pretty dire it&#8217;s important to remember that no one has been injured in an eruption since 1906. This is because the Osservatorio Vesuvio in Naples monitors the mountain very closely and Italian authorities close the park and alert Naples when the volcano shows any signs of activity \u2013 not just for full-blown eruptions but for any seismic movement or even simple \u201cburps\u201d of gas. Mount Vesuvius\u2019 quiet stages have varied from 18 months to about 8 years over the past few centuries, making the current lull in activity the longest in nearly 500 years. Though it\u2019s not thought to erupt soon, when it does, it\u2019s expected to be violent; Meaning that this is one adventure not to procrastinate!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to explore the historic streets of Pompeii? Led by a local archaeologist, our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/pompeii-tours\/best-of-pompeii-tour\/\">Best of Pompeii Tour<\/a> lets you skip the line and get a special insight into this amazingly unique destination.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year millions of visitors come to the Bay of Naples to bask on the shores of the Amalfi Coast and stroll through the frozen-in-time streets of Pompeii. What few realize is that they are walking in the shadow of mainland Europe&#8217;s last active volcano. Mount Vesuvius is famous for the AD 79 eruption that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":22712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[66,106,71,94],"ppma_author":[161],"class_list":["post-8618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-day-trips","tag-hiking","tag-naples","tag-pompeii"],"authors":[{"term_id":161,"user_id":40,"is_guest":0,"slug":"ginamussio","display_name":"Gina Mussio","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9497ce1b0417babd82886ad23b18998?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Mussio","first_name":"Gina","job_title":"","description":"Gina is a Midwesterner living in Lombardy, Italy where she writes about Italian culture, travel and food. She is a bilingual primary school teacher by day, forever interested in developing cross-culture communication skills across languages. Gina loves touring Italy's beautiful and tiny borghi with her family and exploring Italy's culture through its culinary history."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8618"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22780,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8618\/revisions\/22780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8618"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=8618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}