The story of this place
Vesuvius has erupted more than 50 times since it destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79, but that catastrophe—killing thousands and burying whole cities—made it the most famous volcano on Earth. Major eruptions followed in 472, 1631 (which killed some 3,000), and a dramatic 1944 eruption during the Allied occupation that destroyed dozens of American B-25 bombers parked nearby. Today around 3 million people live in its shadow, making it one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes. Visitors can hike to the rim of the smoking crater, 1,281 metres up, and gaze across the Bay of Naples at the buried towns far below.