Saturday, April 25, 2009

So beautiful, So destructive



Been there! on the Vesuvium top


Enjoying the views

It is responsible for the destruction in the past of towns and villages, and it is an all time threat to its surroundings.
Its activity is closely watched and supervised by many expert factors.
Emergency plans are constantly evaluated and re-evaluated by the proper authorities.
On-going efforts are being made to reduce as much as possible population in the area so that evacuation, in case of emergency, can be carried out in a very short time. (Yet people in this area named "the red zone", continue to live in a 'que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be' style).


The Bay of Naples in the background


A bit scary on the edge of the summit

VESUVIO ( in italian) - Vesuvius (in latin), mountain Vesuvium, the volcano overlooking the superb landscape of the Bay of Naples in the south of Italy. This is one of those places that haunts one's memory forever, both because of its beauty and of its potential danger. Just to think of it that I was actually on top of an active volcano and peered into its crater ! Wow!



Il Cratero - The Crater


Emission of hot vapors/fumes from the crater

I read somewhere that an italian writer described the wine produced from the grapes cultivated on the fertile soil of the Vesuvium slopes, as having the properties of the volcano's eruption: " the color of infernal fire, the taste of lava and ash that burried the cities of Ercolano and Pompeii.."



Red ,volcanic soil

And, I heard about a cosmetician telling a young female client that" her acne eruption was of Vesuvium proportion". How about that?!



7 comments:

  1. I was there too, Duta. I love the picture of you on top of the volcano. When I was there I just could not get out of my mind how many people lived under the volcano. It would be Pompeii all over again if it ever erupts. I hope it never happens. The best pizza I ever had in my life was Pizza Margarita right there by the sea in Naples. Yummy :D I think that soil grows some yummy tomatoes and basil! :D
    Have a Happy Day, Duta!

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  2. Hi Kelly,
    I remember being very dissappointed with the pizzas in Naples. After all Naples (NAPOLI)is the place where the pizza originated. But perhaps where I live, they "translated" it into something tastier than the original , and so I was looking in Naples for something that doesn't really exist.

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  3. Duta,
    You are a brave traveller to go to such a place! I was only in Venice for a day, and hubby was in Rome for a conference.

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  4. Thanks Jeannette for the compliment. Well, I was younger and young people are more adventurous. But the fact is that even to this day, thousands of people visit the place although it is an active volcano which could surprise and erupt any minute. Let's hope it will stay quiet forever.

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  5. How amazing to have stood on the top of Mt. Vesuvius! I am glad to have found and visited your blog, Duta.

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  6. Hi PeacefulWmng,
    Thanks for your comment.I'm glad too of your visit.

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  7. I am so jealous of you - but in a nice way. I would love to travel and visit all these wonderful places but living at the "bottom" of Africa makes travelling always very expensive - so far away from all. So in future when you travel, you must enjoy it twice as much - once for you and once for me. Love your blog.

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