Tour to Vesuvio & Ercolano

What is the trip about

The establishment of the National Park of Vesuvius, which took place with the decree of the President of the Republic of 5 June 1995, comes after more than twenty years of initiatives by Italian environmentalists aimed at preserving the only active continental volcano in Europe and one of the most volcanoes world famous, post-war object of unprecedented aggressions made of cement, asphalt, waste, traffic and fires. The current morphology of Vesuvius has been determined by the most recent eruptions, and perhaps in a relevant way precisely from that of 79 AD. which destroyed Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabia. The subsequent eruptions also modified the profile of the volcano, whose share has decreased or increased several times by several hundred meters.Today the Gran Cono is separated from the Somma’s crater walls with the spectacular furrows of the Atrio del Cavallo, Valle del Gigante and Valle dell’Inferno, which form one of the most interesting and exciting volcanic environments in the park. The Somma crater enclosure, still well preserved in the northern sector, dominates the valley of the Giant with rocky spurs and steep slopes of gravel and volcanic sands. It has a typical up and down trend, from north-west to south-east, in the Cognòli of Santa Anastasia (1,086 meters), in Punta del Nasone (1,132 meters) and in the Cognòli di Ottaviano (1,112 meters), followed by the modest ones elevations of the Cognòli di Levante (874 meters), characterized by the most famous “rope” formations of the park. Vesuvius reaches 1,281 meters. The summit is located in the north-eastern section of the crater wall, in correspondence of the impressive lava walls that precipitate for almost 400 meters to the bottom of the crater. On the lower side, the one facing Naples and the coast, the edge of the crater reaches 1,158 meters and the difference in height between the bottom and the edge is about 230 meters. In the half century and more that separates 9 April 1944 from our days, the activity of Vesuvius is limited to the fumaroles, clearly visible on the walls of the crater, and to earthquakes of rather modest intensity. Sixty-three years, however, are nothing for earthly rhythms. According to geologists, Vesuvius is still a fully active volcano. It is not necessary to ask whether the eruptions will resume, we must ask ourselves when this will happen and if the institutions and the population will be ready to face them.

ERCOLANO: The fact that the city had been covered with a glowing mantle of lava could explain the perfect state of conservation of the remains and would have allowed the preservation of the intact papyrus found in a villa. The Villa dei Papiri, once home to a library, is named for the treasure of Roman manuscripts saved from the ruins between 1752 and 1754. The papyri are now kept at the National Library of Naples, the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, the Bodleian Library in Oxford and the British Library in London. Among the marvels found there are also frescoes and mosaics, statues, shopping centers and villas. In addition to the archaeological area, you can visit the boat pavilion of Herculaneum, the only find under the lava in the ancient port of the city. According to historical reconstruction this ship was the only one on the coast not to set sail on that day of panic due to a leak. All the others, with the survivors of Herculaneum on board, sailed to safety. The inhabitants of the city, which was a rich residential center of the Roman aristocracy, set themselves mostly safe. According to recent historical reconstructions only the poorest, mostly slaves, could not save themselves. Their charred bones are packed together in one of the huts of the Port of Herculaneum.