We couldn't miss the opportunity to hike to the top of Mount Vesuvius after being so intrigued by the story of Pompeii. The 4203 ft mountain has been hovering over us for two days, beckoning us to come up and see its crater! Our trek looked grim the night before, for the forecast was calling for 100% rain, but we awoke to partly cloudy skies and took the risk of being soaked at the top.
When were first suggested it, the kids were a little nervous about climbing one of the world's top five most dangerous volcanoes, but today they were brave and ready for our mission. Hey, it meant postponing school until evening! I have to admit that I felt better hiking to the top after learning that modern-day technology supposedly can predict an eruption at least two weeks in advance. We have a much higher chance of getting motion sickness on the bus ride up to the entrance than we do of melting in hot lava!!
Accessing Mount Vesuvius meant taking a 45-minute bus ride from Pompei to the park entrance and then walking a steady incline for about 30 minutes to the crater. The trail up offered breathtaking views of the city of Naples and the Mediterranean Sea. Once at the top, you could walk around about half of the crater's edge and look down into its belly. The kids imagined the hole would be much deeper and were surprised it didn't have hot lava bubbling inside. Thank goodness it didn't! They did think it was really cool to see a continuous stream of steam shooting out of a couple of vents.
Mount Vesuvius' crater
Italy's third-largest city, Naples, below.
We had been warned that it would be much cooler near the crater, but even our multiple layers (we didn't pack many)! weren't enough to keep us warm us once the clouds rolled in when we reached the top. Luckily, it didn't start raining until we were waiting for our bus ride back down at the entrance. Our first purchase on the trip (besides toothpaste and hair conditioner) really came in handy today—an umbrella!! We did not regret this impulse buy at the bus station even though we will have to carry it in our hands for the rest of the trip!
The clouds held back until we reached the very top.
We did have to ask ourselves why so many people continue to live in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius when volcanologists and geologists agree that the next volcanic eruption is long overdue. When it does erupt, they say it will be massive. Italy's third-largest city, Naples, sits right at its feet! The answer we found is that volcanic ash creates incredibly fertile soil that is very rich in nutrients. It's excellent for growing grapes amongst other plants!
Mount Vesuvius is seen in the backdrop of Pompeii. Note the enormous chunk missing from the top.
This field trip was Fink4 approved!