Vesuvius Pompeii and Herculaneum

by Pompeii Tours on April 12, 2010

Mount Vesuvius or Vesuvio, the volcano near Naples, is an interesting place to explore. It was during the famous AD79 eruption that poisonous vapors and molten debris engulfed the surrounding area suffocating the inhabitants of the neighboring Roman resort cities near Vesuvius Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. Many of Vesuvius Pompeii’s neighboring communities, most famously Herculaneum, additionally suffered damage or destruction during the 79 eruption.

The Bay of Naples

The Bay of Naples, resting in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, is home to the archaeological sites of Pompei and Herculaneum, Sorrento, and the islands of Ischia and Capri. The Gulf of Naples is a 10-mile wide gulf located in the south western coast of Italy, (province of Naples, Campania region). View of the Bay of Naples are breathtaking, especially from various places on Posillipo hill, the top of Vesuvius or along the Sorrentine Peninsula.

Cities Vesuvius Pompeii Herculaneum

The Vesuvian area is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world. Mount Vesuvius was regarded by the Greeks and Romans as being sacred to the hero and demigod Heracles/Hercules, and the town of Herculaneum, built at its base, was named after him. Pliny’s uncle, the naturalist Pliny the Elder, was in charge of area warships, but he turned his fleet to rescuing residents and died. Inside the crater itself, it is possible to see glimpses of steam rising from the side of the crater demonstrating that Mt Vesuvius is an active volcano. Explore legendary Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius, the only active volcano in continental Europe, on a full-day guided excursion from Naples.

Pliny The Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus -or, to use his English name, Pliny- was born in 23 or 24 at Novum Comum (modern Como), a small city in the region known as Gallia. Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer.

Famous Pliny the Younger

This volcanic eruption is the first to be described in detail. The letter-writing Pliny the Younger was stationed about 18 miles away in Misenum from which vantage point he could see the eruption and feel the preceding earthquakes. Campi Flegrei, moreover known as the Phlegraean Fields (from Greek meaning burning fields), is a large 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) wide caldera situated to the west of the city of Naples. Pliny was here with his Uncle when the eruption of Mt Vesuvius happened.

The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius

Fires, caused by oil lamps that had fallen during the quake, added to the panic. As Admiral of the fleet, Pliny the Elder had ordered the ships of the Imperial Navy stationed at Misenum to cross the bay to assist evacuation attempts.

Campi Flegrei – The Phlegraean Fields

The area of Campi Flegrei was known to the Greeks, who had a colony nearby at Cumae. The Phlegraean fields caldera has recently experienced intense deformation, originating uplift phenomena of more than 3.5 m in 15 years, with maximum rates of 1 m/year in the period 1982-1984. IN 1984, there was a temporary evacuation of 300,00 people from the centre of Pozzuoli and exposed more than 500,000 the risk of pyroclastic flows (several millions in case of an ignimbritic eruption).

Mount Vesuvius Pompeii Herculaneum

Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the death of 10,000 to 25,000 people.

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