Mt. VesuviusMay 31, 1999 | |
| Mt. Vesuvius is scary, plain and simple. It dominates the skyline of Naples and looks ominous even from a distance. Climbing it doesn't make it seem any friendlier. You can drive up most of the mountain, until about the last mile. Then it's a hellacious climb, weaving back and forth over the trail. Walking sticks are offered at the start of your journey, but for a price! Then when you finally get to the top, the redness of the soil makes you feel as if you somehow stumbled onto Mars. |
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I imagined a straight climb up, a quick peek into the belly of the volcano, and a hike back down. I was pleasantly surprised to discover you could walk at least halfway around the rim. |
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The side facing into the volcano was fenced off to prevent mishaps and/or sacrificial virgins being tossed into the pit, but the outside had no protection. John was undaunted by the sheer dropoff of a couple thousand feet, but I, ever the more sane one, stuck to the inside. |
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| No place in Italy is sacred. They'll stick tourist traps anywhere, so why should the top of Mt. Vesuvius be any different? There were no fewer than three souvenir stands at the top and I lost count on the way down. There is even one at the very end of the trail of the volcano ridge, where you can get your postcards specially stamped to show you were at the tip top of Mt. Vesuvius. |
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One last shot before we left...and scaling the top of this beast didn't reduce my healthy fear of it one iota.[Back]
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