To the Top of Mt Vesuvius

Yesterday we left Pitigliano early to drive the 380km to Nocera Inferiore where we were required to drop off Belle, our hire car. It was an interesting drive once we left the highway with cars seeming to do whatever they pleased so we were very glad to arrive without incident. From Europcar the station was a few hundred meters away. We boarded the train for Pompeii only 20km away. It was 4pm by this stage and we were all looking forward to getting to the apartment. Unfortunately we had an issue with check in when the host failed to turn up. After a few phone calls to various numbers, a guy standing in for our host showed up 45 mins later. We were relieved after a nervous wait - expecting the worst.

We only had one full day to explore Pompeii. Climbing Mt Vesuvius and visiting the ruins were both on our to do list. After some investigating these famous tourist attractions, we weren't't sure whether it was possible to see both in the one day.

Mt Vesuvius, the dormant volcano, is best known for its eruption in AD79 that led to the burial and destruction of Pompeii. There are a variety of options for visiting the cone of Mt Vesuvius - walking up, driving most of the way up, using public bus, organising a tour or the Vesuvio Express. Each had pro and cons and of course there was the issue that one might get to the top only to discover Mt Vesuvius was closed due to weather conditions. (Internet reviews advised us that tour operators wouldn't tell us of any closures until we had paid for tickets and driven to the gate.)

The day dawned bright and blue so weather conditions looked favourable to summit Mt Vesuvius. We caught the circumvesuviana train from Pompeii to Ercolano Scavi. There we purchased tickets for the Vesuvio Express - 20€ per person - 10€ for the bus trip up and down and 10€ for entry to the national park. The guy looked at Katy and said she could go free if she sat on one of our knees. We happily obliged. I was still nervous about the bus ride ahead with the potential of Ella getting car sick plus the weather at the top (even though when we purchased the tickets, the guy said it was ok and open).

I am in awe of our bus driver who negotiated the congested narrow roads before easily manoeuvring the bus around the hairpin bends. We arrived at the carpark adjacent to the national park entry gate some 25 minutes later and on disembarking we were under strict instructions to return to this spot by 11.45am for the return trip.

It was already pretty windy so we donned our windproof jackets and began towels up the dusty wide path enjoying the impressive views over Naples. To the north we could appreciate Mount Somma, the semicircular ridge, remnants of the old volcano from which Mt Vesuvius grew. Between Mount Somma and Mt Vesuvius is Valle del Gigante (Gaint's Valley). After a few switchbacks, the trail continued to steadily climb as the wind gusts increased in ferocity.

About 25 minutes later we arrived at the top and could peer over the fence into the crater! This crater, which was formed by the 1944 eruption, is massive - 300m deep and 610m across. Photos certainly don't do this volcano justice. Steam could be seen rising from various points on the crater walls. We continued on following the path around the edge of the crater to the other side. The wind was relentless - blustery and forceful whipping our hair everywhere. I wondered at what conditions would warrant the closure of the track. We didn't linger any longer than we needed to and I was glad to be descending back down towards the bus to escape the blustery conditions.