"E" is for Eruption

When standing in the archeological site of Pompeii near Naples I cast  a wary eye at Mount Vesuvius, shrouded in low-lying cloud. I think of the eruption in 79 AD that destroyed this ancient Roman town and the thousands of people who were killed by the pyroclastic flows of ash and hot gases. Could such a disaster happen again?

Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii

Naples and Campania

After two busy days spent exploring the great city of Rome, we travelled southward into the Campania region of Italy, the birthplace of pizza, Caruso and Sophia Loren. Before boarding a ferry to the next stop on our tour, the island of Capri, we visited the archeological site of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Then we took a quick stroll through central Napoli, or Naples, the capital of Campania.

Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

Pompeii Today

The movie Pompeii opened in theatres recently and tells the story of the ancient Roman town destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Archeologists have unearthed the remains of this civilization beneath the layers of ash and rock, giving us an interesting look at the lives of the ordinary people who once lived here.

The Forum and Mount Vesuvius

Naples, Pompeii and Sorrento

Roma, May 2010 - We'd been travelling through England, France and Italy on Trafalgar's Contrasts of Europe train tour. And this morning we were about to embark on the second portion of our trip, a 3-day Naples, Pompeii and Sorrento Tour with Carrani Tours.

A shuttle picked us up from the Hotel Diana and transferred us to the tour bus that would carry us south from Rome to our first stop, the city of Naples. Travelling along the modern highway, we saw the Appian Way, lined on both sides by rows of umbrella pines. This ancient road ran southeast from Rome, to Brindisi on Italy's Adriatic coast.

We arrived at the port of Naples in the rain, and regrouped with other English-speaking travellers for our walking tour.

Castel Nuovo, Naples