This tour includes an English-speaking driver with his Mercedes car at your disposal for 4 hours (private - only for you) - entrance fees of the crater
Have a great tour of Mount Vesuvius, the most famous volcano in the world. You’ll meet Your English-speaking driver by Your accommodation. After that, transfer to the top of the Mount Vesuvius where you’ll have 90 minutes of free time on Your own to climb up to the crater.
Mount Vesuvius is 1,281 meters high. The peak is located in the north-eastern section of the crater wall. On its lower side, the one facing Naples and the coast, the rim of the crater reaches 1,158 meters and the height difference between the bottom and the edge is approximately 230 meters. The central crater (known as Gran Cono del Vesuvio) that we see today is not the one that existed before 1631, when there was a major eruption. The crater prior to 1631 was probably formed in the Middle Ages, after the eruption of 472. Anyway, the most well-known eruption was that of 79AD. In fact, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius of 79 AD was one of the most famous and significant in the volcanologic history. The eruption’s beginning took place at 1:00 pm on August 24, A.D. 79: an enormous cloud rose from Mount Vesuvius, climbing high in the sky above the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Actually, the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae and many other villas and farms of the Vesuvius area were destroyed by the cataclysm of that August 24, remaining sealed under a thickness of roughly ten meters of eruptive products until the XVIII century, when the regular excavation unearthed them and they appeared in all their irresistible charm. After centuries of inactivity, Mount Vesuvius erupted when the magma managed to overcome the resistance of the overlying rocks. It then lifted a giant column of smoke and ash that carried with it pumice and scoria and then assumed the typical shape of a pine tree. While today Mt Vesuvius is considered quiescent, this volcano remains one of the most dangerous in the world due to both its explosive nature and to the vicinity of so many towns.
When you are on the top of the volcano, You’ll enjoy a panoramic view of all the surrounding area. On 1995 the Vesuvius National Park was officially opened, to preserve the only active volcanic site in Europe. The park is located in the province of Naples and it covers more than 8,400 hectares on the territory of 13 municipalities. Thanks to the its extraordinary fertile soil, Mount Vesuvius is covered with lush vegetation. In the space between the cultivated fields of the slopes and the lichens that live on the rocks of the crater, the Vesuvian vegetation contains fascinating surprises. In fact, pioneer species of various types grow on the wide lava fields. Among the more than 100 plants identified by botanists on the Gran Cono, you’ll notice more easily the lichen of lava (Stereocaulon vesuvianum), an endemic species that covered the lava of 1944. On a hill (609 meters high) of Mount Vesuvius, was built the Vesuvian Observatory by Ferdinand II of Bourbon. The observatory was opened in 1841 by the physicist Macedonio Melloni and today it is the State Agency responsible for monitoring of Italian volcanoes: Mount Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei, Epomeo, Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano. Inside elegant nineteenth-century building there is also a museum where one can see lava samples, volcanic bombs and a collection of volcanic seismographs of the early XX century.
At the end of the Tour, back to Your accommodation with our driver.
