The Bay of Naples

2007-08-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

We landed in Naples airport and were met by our prearranged chauffer who drove us to the Hotel Londra in Sant' Agnello, a suburb of Sorrento.

The drive south around the Bay of Naples took us through a continuous string of towns. I noticed that most of the houses have a shaded roof terrace. The Mediterranean climate encourages people to eat outside whenever possible. Indeed, the temperature today is 90° F, 32° C.

We arrived at the Hotel Londra. It is equipped with adequate amenities befitting the price we paid. The Hotel Landra is crammed in a door-to-door neighborhood of other hotels.

The room is sparse. The view is of the apartment building next door. We and the neighbors may be exchanging private views through our opened windows. If we wanted the air condition turned on in the room it would cost an additional €8 a day.

The hotel swimming pool is shaded by a small grove of pine, orange, lime, and olive trees.

As soon as we unpacked we went to explore or new neighborhood. Close by, we found an interesting taverna called La Terrazzo perched on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples.

Off in the hazy distance across the bay was the eponymous city of the bay. To the east was the brooding Vesuvius looming over the modern reincarnation of Pompeii (picture on the right).

Far below us were the Sorrentine beaches, grey with volcanic sand, and littered with half naked bodies. We sat on the veranda of the tarverna, admiring the view of the bay and watching people. Christine had a few cappuccinos and ice cream while I had equal quantities of the local draft, Nastro Azzunro.

Mount Vesuvius.

The ominous conical outline of Mount Vesuvius dominates the otherwise alluvial landscape of the Bay of Naples. It towers 1,281 meters (4,200 feet) above the bay. Mount Vesuvius is the only remaining active volcano in Europe. It has erupted many times in recorded history. The most devastating was in 79 AD; the most recent was in 1944. The attitude of the people who live around the bay is not "if" but "when" their volcano will erupt again. The next eruption will endanger the lives of one million people living in 18 towns around the volcanic cone. The concern is so real that the local councils offered €25,000 to help any family who would move away from the danger zone. However, only one family accepted the offer. It was explained to me that most of the people living in the area had never personally experienced the destructive power of the last eruption in 1944. Why do people continue to ignore the lessons of history?

Lest Vesuvius be forgotten by the little people who stubbornly stay at it feet, the resting volcano belches smoke and gas from its central creator a few times each year. This is a good thing. Vesuvius is letting off steam. Vulcanologists are worried that there has not been any pressure releasing smoke since last November. Seismologists keep a close watch on the frequent but small earth quakes around the mountain. They also watch the behavior of the local wildlife on the mountain. The scientists say that they can give the people only a 15-day warning. The problem is that the roadways leaving the area around Vesuvius are not adequate to evaluate a million people in 15 days. The authorities are at this moment building a wider escape route. I think they should build more than one way out of the area rather than just make the existing highway one lane wider.

Well, there was no 15-day warning today, so it was safe to venture up the side of the volcano. A coach took us very close to the top of the mountain. My intention was to climb the remaining 200 meters up to the rim of the caldera or crater. Valiant Christine started out with me. She received two walking sticks to help with her assent, but her stylish sandals let her down after about 30 meters. She waited patiently on a bench in the hot Neapolitan sun for my return.

A spiraling path had been carved into the side of the mountain. It ascends at about a 45 degree angle (see picture above). The path is covered with gray and rust-colored pumice. I noticed with a mixture of pride and trepidation that I was the oldest climber on the path. I took my time. I would stop every five minutes and rest for 30 seconds. That was enough. I trudged passed kids, and a lady carrying a small dog in a bag. I stumbled on the loose rock that had blasted from the bowels of the Earth, scratching my shoes.

Soon I could see the rim. With the target in sight, I was invigorated and walked briskly without the aid of the hiking stick. The rim of the volcano was lined with seismographic instruments. A plug of cooled lava from the 1944 eruption had sealed this portal to hell.

I felt a great since of accomplishment reaching the top of Mount Vesuvius. On the personal side, I was proud that I, nearly 62 years of age, could make this climb. On the professional side, I am looking forward to the next time I talk about the Romans and Pompeii in my classroom, I can say I have looked into the mouth of Vesuvius.

David Aaron

The Bay of Naples