Tag Archive for: Vesuvius

Sorrento, Naples and Mount Vesuvius

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Panorama of Sorrento, Mount Vesuvius and Naples, Campania, Italy

The Sorrentine Peninsula offers world-class panoramas; from its mountainous backbone, you look north-east across the Gulf of Naples with the Phlegraean Fields and the city centre in the background, Mount Vesuvius with the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the middle ground, and the town of Sorrento on the rocky terrace above the sea in the foreground. If I were to hike a little further west over the mountains, I would look out towards promising Capri and, to the south-east, along the Amalfi Coast rising dramatically from the sea. This view at night is also fascinating.

Climb to the crater of Mount Vesuvius

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In the caldera of Mount Vesuvius, Valle del Gigante, Naples, Campania, Italy

What would Naples be without a visit to the mighty volcano Vesuvius at its side. Following long winding roads, I drive out of the dense suburbs of Naples through fertile olive and lemon groves, which soon give way to a bizarre lava landscape. The road ends at about 1,000 metres above sea level in the ‘Valle del Gigante’, where the remains of the 1945 eruption can still be seen. From the car park, the crowds trek up a gravel path to the Gran Cono, which rises to 1,281 m above the sea. Read more

Panorama of Naples and Mount Vesuvius at night

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Bay of Sorrento with Naples and Mount Vesuvius at night, Campania, Italy

Between the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast, the steep limestone mountains of the Sorrentine Peninsula and its extension, the island of Capri, rise from the sea. Olive groves and lemon gardens lie above glamorous tourist resorts like Sorrento, Massa Lubrense, Positano or Amalfi. On the ridge, like an observation deck with views of both coastlines, lies the village of Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi. While the view of Sorrento, the bay and the city of Naples as well as Mount Vesuvius is already breathtaking by day, the sight at night is no less fascinating – for this shot, I specifically climbed from my room’s balcony onto the hotel’s flat roof.

Furthermore, the sight makes it clear once again how Mount Vesuvius towers over the sea of lights of densely populated areas, representing a constant threat.

Frescoes and mosaics of Herculaneum

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Mosaic from the House of Neptune and Amphitrite in Herculaneum, Campania, Italy

At the foot of Vesuvius, amidst the sprawling, less-than-picturesque modern urban sprawl of Naples’ outskirts, lie the excavations of ancient Herculaneum. Like Pompeii, the city was also destroyed during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 BC, but it was buried not by ash, but by mud. As a result, the remains of organic materials such as wood and foodstuffs have been better preserved, providing crucial insights into Roman daily life at that time. Read more