VESUVIUS

Introduction:
Central and Southern Italy, between the "Appennini" and the "Tirrenica" Coast, is rich of volcanoes. While however to the center of the peninsula they are out from a long time, to South several of them are still active and considered dangerous.Among these there are the Vesuvius in Campania, the Etna and the Stromboli in Sicily. While the last 2 have a regular activity, the Vesuvius alternates centuries of calm to sudden awakenings and for this reason to consider it to high risk.So greater risk as taller it's the housing density, exactly as in the case of the area Vesuviana where it is calculated that they live around 700/800.000 inhabitants.

Brief history:
The eruption of 24 August of the 79 a.C. without doubt is the more one note of the Vesuvio/Somma and perhaps the most famous volcanic eruption that the history remembers. Cities as Pompeii, Ercolano, Stabia and Oplontis were buried. Unfortunately, to that tragic event, the volcano practically has as hibernated the places from now on quoted, allowing to hand down up to our days places and daily life of around 2000 years ago. Anyway, the event is described with abundance of details by Plinio the Young in the 2 letters that he wrote to its friend Tacito, letters that constitute precious documents from a historical point of view.

Other violent eruptions succedutes after that date, as for instance that of the 172 a.C., given by to remember because is from this eruption that begins to form the volcano cone as we see it today; We still remember the eruptions happened in the 1631, 1906 and finally that of 1944. From this last date, on the volcano the characteristic plume of smoke that has marked for centuries the "Neapolitan view" has not appeared anymore. To climb to the crater means, however, to visit one of the most symbolic and characteristic places in Italy.

Actual situation:
From March 1944, the Vesuvius is in state of quiescence to obstructed duct and its activity is testified above all by the fumaroles.
As has happened for the past we cannot be foreseen how long this situation will be, if decades or centuries, of sure we can be affirmed that other eruptions will happen.
To the purpose to avoid losses of human life, the preceded authorities, have ready a plan of emergency that foresees, in case of demonstration of "evident precursory phenomenons", the evacuation of the considered areas more to risk.
Just for this, the Vesuvian observatory, the most ancient of the world, risen in the1841, guards 24 hours on 24 the whole area.