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Vesuvius
what lies beneath
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We
visit Vesuvius, the ancient active volcano on the
European mainland. Prepare for fire and brimstone
as we weave our way to the crater.
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 Vesuvius
is right in the middle of one of the most
intense areas of volcanic activity
on the Earth. Add a high density of population,
some two million people live in and around the volcano,
and you can get some idea of the danger involved.
The volcano dominates
the eastern and south-eastern sides of the Bay
of Naples and looms ominously over
the city itself. It is the oldest, and most infamous,
of the world's active volcanoes and visitors are
often amazed to find it snow-capped
in the winter months. Many speak of terrific yet
sublime visions of this frightful mountain and its
marvellous surrounds.
 Vesuvius'
fame dates back to the tragic eruption in 79 AD.
which destroyed the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum
and Stabiae. The outbreak was so violent
that it raised a column
of smoke up to 32 km high.
At the time Pliny the Younger wrote a moving
account of the tragedy and left us with the oldest
recorded description of a live eruption. By reading
Pliny's letter
and looking at a simple animation
devised by the Gruppo Nazionale di Vulcanologia
(National Volcanology Group) we can understand why
particularly violent eruptions are called Plinian
eruptions, after the ancient historian.
Vesuvius' last eruption
was in 1944 shortly after
the allied troops landed in Italy. It took the unexpecting
Americans by surprise nearly causing another "Pearl
Harbour".
Take a walk through the towns
and villages around Vesuvius and
you'll see ample evidence of the volcano's activity:
solidified lava,
pumice and tuffs are scattered between the houses.
Today the volcano is considered quiescent, or
dormant, but the vents or fumaroles
on top remind us of what lies beneath.
T heVesuvius
National Park, at 10,000 square metres
Italy's smallest one, was officially opened in 1995
to protect the cultural and historical heritage
of the area and support local traditions and produce.
There is a wide choice of paths for those of you
wishing to climb up to the crater. Half-way up you
can stop off at the Vesuvian
Observatory, the oldest of its type
in the world (1841-45), and see an impressive simulation
of the eruption which destroyed Pompeii. The old
seismographs are worth a look - the electromagnetic
model designed by Luigi Palmieri is particularly
interesting (the page is in Italian but check out
the illustration of the seismograph).
 The
walk up to the summit is beautiful. Bright bushes
of broom and sulphur-coloured
butterflies stand out against the
black
volcanic rock in a celebration of
life, no matter how precarious the situation. The
only sour note is the number of palatial residences
built illegally just a few hundred metres from the
crater. But that, my friends, is another story.
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FRANCESCO
TUTINO |
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May
2001
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
