Living in the shadow of active volcanoes

Mount Vesuvius

Once upon a time the bustling city of Pompeii was an important maritime port for the Roman Empire. However, Pompeii and Herculaneum’s fate was sealed with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The avalanche of lava and rock erupted from the crater and raced down the mountainside. It hit Pompeii at 100 miles an hour, burying the city in an instant, but also preserving it perfectly for 1,500 years. Though several eruptions occurred prior to AD 79, this eruption is widely considered as one of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions of all time.

Mount Vesuvius is the only active volcano on mainland Europe. Greater Naples has an urban sprawl of almost four million people with one million living in the historic centre, making it Italy’s third biggest city. For now the volcano is sleeping, however, living in the most densely populated volcanic region in the world makes life full of uncertainty for Neapolitans. Vesuvius is only nine kilometres east of Naples.

In 1906, Vesuvius caused the cancellation of Italy’s summer Olympics as it erupted two years before Rome was due to host the Summer Games, forcing the government to put the funds into rebuilding Naples and organisers to look for an alternative venue which was London.

Vesuvius has maintained an ominous silence since 1944, when its last eruption destroyed several nearby villages.

Five kilometres west of Vesuvius is the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields). The area is an active volcanic caldera stretching from the outskirts of Naples into the sea. The last big eruption was in 1538, but the Campi Flegrei has since been hit by hundreds of earthquakes, with seismic activity intensifying in the past two years and sparking fears of an imminent eruption. Half a million people currently live there.

The Vesuvius Observatory monitors seismic activity 24 hours a day. It is not a case of “if there is another eruption”, but “when”. The people of Naples are passionate, vibrant, warm and friendly. Their joy at just being alive spills over with enthusiasm and energy as they know that at any point something can happen. I have vivid memories of my first experience in Naples when I was overcome by the generosity and hospitality of everyone I met.

Mount Etna

For adventure seekers, walking around the craters of this fire-god mountain is a surreal experience. The highest, most active volcano in Europe is 3,329 metres high, but even at 2,000 metres you can walk around the perimeters of the Silvestri Craters.

Etna has been active for 2.5 million years and holds the record for eruptions. In 1669 there was a huge eruption with lava sweeping through villages on Etna’s slopes all the way down to Catania, on Italy’s east coast.

Between 1991 and 1993 there were a total of 473 days of eruptions that threatened the town of Zafferana Etnea that sits on the eastern slopes of the mountain. A large eruption occurred between 2002 and 2003, when the lava flow destroyed part of the cable car that takes people up to a height of 2,500 metres. In April 2024, a new crater opened on the volcano’s summit causing an unusual display of smoke rings.

Etna’s lava and volcanic ash have made the soil very fertile, providing ideal conditions for agricultural products, especially the production of lemons, apples, pears, pistachios, walnuts, almonds and prickly pears. Also famous are the Etna mushrooms and Etna honey flavoured with chestnut flowers. Zafferana Etnea has been producing ‘Etna Gold’ since 1910, which is delicious honey that accounts for 15% of the honey supplied to Italy.

Strong Etna wines, produced from the volcanic earth and an altitude up to 1,000 metres above sea level, are exported all over the world.

There are pine forests and rock hugging plants on Etna that emerge and scatter within the volcanic rock. From the spring through until autumn there is the wonderful bright yellow flowered shrub called Etna Broom, nick-named “the stone breaker”.

Dazzling in the sun and trailing its signature plume of smoke, Etna has been held in awe and respected by generations of Sicilians. This is a mountain that you can hike, cycle, horse-ride and ski in the winter months. It is an extraordinary panorama that in places looks like a moonscape, yet has incredible vegetation.

Our excursions to the craters of Mount Etna are with Rosario, owner of Sicily Legend, in four wheel drive vehicles. I am always in awe of the knowledge and passion that he and his team of professional guides have. They live and breathe this majestic, brooding volcano that is ever present with its changing moods and volatility.

Since my first time on the mountain with Rosario ten years ago, there has never been a time when it has been unsafe to visit the craters. Every single experience has been different.

Stromboli

Our tour of Sicily includes an archipelago of seven islands off the northeast coast of Sicily called the Aeolian Islands. Three days staying on Lipari, the largest island, allows us to visit some of the other islands. The most dramatic one with around 400 locals is Stromboli which also has an active volcano.

Known as the ancient lighthouse of the mediterranean, it has been erupting its mesmerising glow for over 2,000 years. Lava spurts are sometimes visible during the day, but are more spectacular once darkness falls.

Eruptions have occurred in 2002, 2003, 2007, 2013, 2014 and 2019. The most recent was in July last year, but no-one was hurt and there no damage to local infrastructure.

Why are volcanoes and earthquakes so common in Italy?

The Italian peninsula spans two tectonic plates: the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate, which meet between Sicily and the mainland.

At the boundary between the two, one is forced under the other and sinks into the earth’s hot mantle, with the water within it being squeezed out at high pressure and helping to form magma, which then forces its way to the surface and bursts through in the form of a volcano.

Both volcanoes and earthquakes are common around such boundaries - in this case, south-western Italy.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb

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