Why worry, the last major eruption of Vesuvius was nearly 2,000 years ago!

Metropolitan Naples includes the city and many of the towns and villages of southwestern Campania. Most are located on the fertile Campanian Plain, which is bounded on the northeast by the Apennine Mountains and on the southeast by the Sorrento Peninsula. The Apennines and the peninsula are not volcanic; they are made up of ancient sedimentary rocks (mostly limestones) that were pushed into their present lofty positions by crustal plate movements. However, the Campanian Plain and parts of the Bay of Naples were shaped by volcanic activity that has occurred intermittently over the last 50,000 years.

Most Naples residents know that Vesuvius is a volcano and that it last erupted in 1944 during World War II. They are very aware of earthquakes that have shaken the city over the centuries as well as the odorous hot springs and fumaroles in the town of Pozzuoli and on the island of Ischia. When asked in a recent survey about perceptions of volcanic risk, most local people pointed accusingly toward Vesuvius. It was evident that few realized this potentially active volcanic area not only includes the Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) but extends far further, to the islands of Ischia and Prócida. Even fewer realized the extent of the volcanic structures that underlie the Bay of Naples. In spite of many attempts to educate the residents about their volcanic heritage and the current potential risks, Vesuvius is still the star of every postcard and is viewed more as an object of regional pride than a possibly volatile neighborhood bully.