Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the mainland of Europe. It is probably the most famous volcano in the world. It rises on the Bay of Naples, about 7 miles southeast of the city of Naples, Italy. Scientists have studied Vesuvius more than any other volcano because it erupts frequently and is easy to reach. Vesuvius is a cone within the rim of Mount Somma, a big crater formed when the top of the mountain collapsed in the eruption of AD 79. The height of the cone changes with each eruption. In 1900, it was 4,275 feet high. But after several eruptions since then, its height has dropped to 4,190 feet. The top of the cone is a cup-shaped crater, ranging from 50 to 400 feet across. Vesuvius spouts columns of steam, cinders, and sometimes small amounts of lava into the air.
Many people live on the lower slopes of the mountain and on the plains at its foot, in spite of Vesuvius' history of eruptions. The volcanic soil is extremely fertile and the area is famous for its vineyards of wine grapes.
The greatest destruction in recent years occurred in April 1906, when several towns were destroyed. In the eruption of March 1944, which destroyed the village of San Sebastiano, soldiers of the Allied armies helped the people of nearby towns escape the lava and volcanic dust. Before the eruption of 1944, thousands of visitors came to Vesuvius every year. They could go down into the crater for some distance and see a crimson stream of lava flow from the cone and turn into a bed of cold stone. A cable railway that took visitors to within 450 feet of the edge of the crater was destroyed in this eruption. Many people still visit the area.
A Royal Observatory was established on the slopes of the mountain in 1844.
Since that time scientists have kept a constant watch over the volcano during
and between eruptions. One observer lost his life standing by his
post.