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Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy is the world's most dangerous volcano, and a constant threat to hundreds of thousands of people who live in its shadow, an international conference has heard.

Professor Franco Barberi of Rome University made the announcement at the recent 32nd International Geological Congress in Florence.

"Mount Vesuvius is currently the most threatening volcano in the world, because of the dense population living in the area," Barberi said.

"The risk is particularly high in the case of a high-intensity eruption, projecting clouds loaded with magma and incandescent matter," he said.

Using geothermal and geophysical tools, scientists are generally able to predict an eruption and trigger an evacuation if necessary. In the Philippines, the Pinatubo eruption in 1991 claimed 300 lives, compared to up to 80,000 lives if the area had not been evacuated.

But despite this, regions such as Naples remain in danger if there is a high-speed pyroclastic eruption, Barberi said. These eruptions involve a mixture of gas-rich magma, water vapour and debris being flung from the volcano at extremely high temperatures.

In this case the devastation would be "a question of hours", Barberi warned.

Some 700,000 people live in the area of Vesuvius, near the southern city of Naples, which itself has a population of one million.

The volcano was made legendary by an eruption in the year 79, which engulfed the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculanum.

Before the volcano's last major eruption, in 1631, 17th-century documents suggest that warning signals such as ground tremors and dense smoke had started appearing for several weeks.
Learning about lava
Scientists have used Mount Etna in Sicily, which has had regular bursts of activity over the past few decades, as an open-sky laboratory to study lava flows and learn to slow and channel them away from human habitations.

In most cases, lava flows extremely slowly and poses little threat to humans. But the addition of water into the magma chamber that houses the volcano's lava can trigger a much more destructive pyroclastic eruption.

The last eruption of the volcano Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1982 and 1983 sent lava hurtling at 60 kilometres per hour to the outskirts of the town of Goma.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, 1,415 volcanoes have erupted in the past 10,000 years, with the most active being Mount Etna, Stromboli off the coast of southern Italy, and the volcanoes of Hawaii.

Italian authorities have made plans for a mass evacuation in case of the eruption of Vesuvius, with every region in Italy having agreed to provide for one of the towns in the area. Simulated evacuations have also been staged.

The area at risk can be divided into three, with varying degrees of risk for the population. The most exposed zone, home to some 560,000 people, would have to be evacuated before the start of an eruption.

The region around Naples has also adopted a A$1.2 billion (US$840 million) plan to stop further construction in the highest-risk area, with stiff penalties for offenders, and cash incentives for people willing to relocate outside the area.

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Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy is the world's most dangerous volcano, and a constant threat to hundreds of thousands of people who live in its shadow, an international conference has heard. Professor Franco Barberi of Rome University made the announcement at the recent 32nd International Geological Congress in Florence.

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Life in the shadow of an active volcano might be risky but people living near Mount Vesuvius in Italy are there to stay.

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Il Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio nasce ufficialmente il 5 giugno 1995. Viene istituito al fine di conservare le specie animali e vegetali, le associazioni vegetali e forestali, le singolarità geologiche, le formazioni paleontologiche, le comunità biologiche, i biotopi, i valori scenici e panoramici, i processi naturali, gli equilibri idraulici e idrogeologici, gli equilibri ecologici. Le finalità vanno anche all’applicazione di metodi di gestione o di restauro ambientale idonei a realizzare una integrazione tra uomo e ambiente naturale, anche mediante la salvaguardia dei valori antropologici, archeologici, storici e architettonici e delle attività agro-silvo-pastorali e tradizionali; alla promozione di attività di educazione, di formazione e di ricerca scientifica, anche interdisciplinare, nonché di attività ricreative compatibili; alla difesa e ricostituzione degli equilibri idraulici e idrogeologici. Nel caso del Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio i compiti e le valenze si fanno decisamente più ampie tenendo in conto il fatto che si tratta di dover difendere e valorizzare il vulcano più famoso del mondo, ma, nel contempo, anche uno dei cinque vulcani più pericolosi al mondo per la fortissima conurbazione urbana che negli anni si è andata formando intorno ad esso, irrispettosa delle leggi che proibivano la realizzazione degli edifici. Il Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio rappresenta quindi un’anomalia nel panorama dei Parchi naturali europei, una sorta di scommessa dell’ambientalismo mondiale tesa a recuperare la selvaticità e il fascino del Vesuvio e del Monte Somma, strappandoli all’incredibile degrado cui erano pervenuti e restituendoli al godimento delle attuali e future generazioni, a cui, in ultima analisi, appartengono.

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The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in autumn, 79 AD

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Stratovolcano 1281 m
Italy, 40.82°N / 14.43°E
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 9 Mar 2022 (occasional swarms of tiny earthquakes)

Vesuvius volcano near Naples, Italy, seen from the air. The rim of the remnant of the older Somma volcano which collapsed in the 79 AD Plinian eruption is clearly visible to the left of the new Cono Grande cone with its crater.

Typical eruption style: Mainly explosive. I detail, Vesuvius has 4 typical types of eruptions:
1. Plinian (such as the 79 AD Pompeii eruption): extremely large explosive eruptions producing several to several tens of cubic km of magma in a very short time.
2. Sub-Plinian explosive eruptions (such as the 1631 eruption). They are similar in style, but smaller than true Plinian events.
3. Strombolian and Vulcanian eruptions (several examples during the 1631-1944 period, e.g. 1906 and 1944). Such eruptions produce local heavy tephra falls, small pyroclastic flows, as well as large fire fountains and lava flows.
4. The smallest, but most frequent type of activity observed at Vesuvius is persistent Strombolian to Hawaiian-style activity that prevailed during much of the period between 1631 and 1944. This activity is usually limited to the central crater, and sometimes to flank vents. Lava flows and lava fountains have been frequently observed during such periods of activity.
Vesuvius volcano eruptions: 1796 - 1822, 1824 - 1834, 1835 - 1839, 1841 - 16 February 1850, 1854 - 1855, 1855 - 1861, 1864 - 1868, 1870 - 1872, 1875 - 1906, 1913 - 4 April 1944
Lastest nearby earthquakes:

Background
Vesuvius ("Vesuvio" in Italian) is probably not only the most famous, but also one, if not the most dangerous volcano on Earth. The first eyewitness account of a volcanic eruption that has been preserved has come to us from Vesuvius: In 79 AD, after a century-long slumber, the volcano woke up with terrifying power in an eruption that buried several Roman towns like Pompeii and Herculaneum under several meters of ash. Today, parts of these cities have been excavated and are among the most remarkable archaeological sites of the world, allowing us to have an excellent view on Roman life and culture, where time and life had been frozen in a moment.

Geologically, Mt. Vesuvius, or more correctly the Somma-Vesuvius complex, is about 400,000 years old, as dating of lava sampled drilled from over 1,300 m depth have shown. Present-day Vesuvius is a medium-sized typical stratovolcano volcano reaching a height of 1,281 m a.s.l. It comprises the older volcano, the Somma, whose summit collapsed (likely during the 79 AD eruption), creating a caldera, and the younger volcano, Vesuvius, which since then has re-grown inside this caldera and formed a new cone. Although in a dormant phase at present, Vesuvius is an extremely active volcano and particular for its unusually varied style of activity: it ranges from Hawaiian-style emission of very liquid lava, extreme lava fountains, lava lakes and lava flows, over Strombolian and Vulcanian eruptions to violently explosive, Plinian eruptions that produce large pyroclastic flows.

When one thinks about Vesuvius volcano today, one aspect is eminent: due to the dense population surrounding it, and ever climbing higher and higher up on its slopes, it is certainly among Earth's most dangerous volcanoes. It is estimated that ore than 500,000 people live in the zone immediately threatened by a future eruption. When this happens is not known; it is possible that Vesuvius has entered into one of its typically century-long lasting phases of dormancy, but volcanoes can be unpredictable. The situation in the Gulf of Naples is further complicated by the presence of another highly active, and potentially as dangerous volcano: the Campi Flegrei, located immediately under a large part of the modern city of Naples proper.
Vesuvius Photos

Vesuvius volcano near Naples, Italy, seen from the air. The rim of the remnant of the older Somma volcano which collapsed in the 79 AD Plinian eruption is clearly visible...

On the crater rim of Vesuvius volcano, with steaming vents in the background. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

Vesuvius volcano aerial (June 2017) (Photo: Martin Rietze)

The excavations of the Roman town of Ercolaneo buried by pyroclastic flows from Vesuvius volcano in the 79 AD eruption. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

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Stratovolcano 1281 mItaly, 40.82°N / 14.43°E Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5) Last update: 9 Mar 2022 (occasional swarms of tiny earthquakes) Vesuvius volcano near Naples, Italy, seen from the air.

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Update of the National Emergency Planning for Vesuvius

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This dossier is dedicated to the update of the National Emergency Plan for the Vesuvius.
In 2014, after a long process of study and analysis, we came

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Vesuvius, active volcano that rises above the Bay of Naples on the plain of Campania in southern Italy. Its western base rests almost upon the bay. The height of the cone in 2013 was 4,203 feet (1,281 metres), but it varies considerably after each major eruption. At about 1,968 feet (about 600 metres), a high semicircular ridge, called Mount Somma, begins, girding the cone on the north and rising to 3,714 feet (1,132 metres). Between Mount Somma and the cone is the Valle del Gigante (Giant's Valley). At the summit of the cone is a large crater about 1,000 feet (about 305 metres) deep and 2,000 feet (about 610 metres) across; it was formed in the eruption of 1944. More than two million people live in the vicinity of Vesuvius and on its lower slopes. There are industrial towns along the coast of the Bay of Naples and small agricultural centres on the northern slopes.

Vesuvius probably originated somewhat less than 200,000 years ago. Although a relatively young volcano, Vesuvius had been dormant for centuries before the great eruption of 79 ce that buried the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and lapilli and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow. The writer Pliny the Younger, who was staying at a place west of Naples, gave an excellent account of the catastrophe in two letters to the historian Tacitus. Between the years 79 and 1037, several eruptions were reported, which include those occurring in 203, 472, 512, 685, 787, 968, 991, 999, and 1007. The explosions of 512 were so severe that Theodoric the Goth released the people living on the slopes of Vesuvius from payment of taxes.

After some centuries of quiescence, a series of earthquakes, lasting six months and gradually increasing in violence, preceded a major eruption that took place on December 16, 1631. Many villages on the slopes of the volcano were destroyed, about 3,000 people were killed, the lava flow reached the sea, and the skies were darkened for days. After 1631 there was a change in the eruptive character of the volcano, and activity became continuous. Two stages could be observed: quiescent and eruptive. During the quiescent stage the volcano's mouth would be obstructed, whereas in the eruptive stage it would be almost continuously open.

Between 1660 and 1944 several of these cycles were observed. Severe paroxysmal (suddenly recurring) eruptions, concluding an eruptive stage, occurred in 1660, 1682, 1694, 1698, 1707, 1737, 1760, 1767, 1779, 1794, 1822, 1834, 1839, 1850, 1855, 1861, 1868, 1872, 1906, 1929, and 1944. The eruptive stages varied in length from 6 months to 30 3 / 4 years. The quiescent stages varied from 18 months to 7 1 / 2 years.

Scientific study of the volcano did not begin until late in the 18th century. An observatory was opened in 1845 at 1,995 feet (608 metres), and in the 20th century numerous stations were set up at various heights for making volcanologic measurements. A large laboratory and a deep tunnel for seismo-gravimetric measurements were also built.

The slopes of Vesuvius are covered with vineyards and orchards, and the wine grown there is known as Lacrima Christi (Latin for "tears of Christ"); in ancient Pompeii the wine jars were frequently marked with the name Vesuvinum. Higher up, the mountain is covered with copses of oak and chestnut, and on the northern side along the slopes of Mount Somma the woods proceed to the very summit. On the western side the chestnut groves give way above 2,000 feet to undulating plateaus covered with broom, where the crater left by the great eruption of the year 79 ce has been filled in. Still higher, on the slopes of the great cone and on the inner slope of Mount Somma, the surface is almost barren; during quiescent periods it is covered by tufts of meadow plants.

The soil is very fertile, and in the long period of inactivity before the eruption of 1631 there were forests in the crater and three lakes from which pasturing herds drank. Vegetation on the slope dies off during eruptive periods because of the volcanic gases. After the eruption of 1906, forests were planted on the slopes in order to protect inhabited places from the flows of mud that usually occur after violent eruptions, and in the fertile soil the trees grew rapidly.

In 73 bce the gladiator Spartacus was besieged by the praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber on the barren summit of Mount Somma, which was then a wide, flat depression walled by rugged rocks festooned with wild vines. He escaped by twisting ropes of vine branches and descending through unguarded fissures in the rim. Some paintings excavated in Pompeii and Herculaneum represent the mountain as it looked before the eruption of 79 ce, when it had only one peak.

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Mount Vesuvius (Vesuvio), active volcano near Naples, Italy, famous for its eruption in 79 CE that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. Scientific study of the volcano began in the late 18th century. Read here to learn more about Mount Vesuvius.

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The most famous volcano in the world could erupt at any time

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‘We have to equip ourselves to be prepared, Mount Vesuvius is a problem of gigantic proportions’

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The southern Campania region and Italy's Department of Civil Protection are drawing up a plan to get 700,000 people out of harm's way in the case of a volcanic eruption.

Vesuvius is "a problem of gigantic proportions" De Luca said, "but we have to equip ourselves to be prepared."

The emergency plan is almost ready (an initial draft can be viewed here, in Italian) and will be finalized by the end of the month, Regional president Vincenzo De Luca and the head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabrizio Curzio, told media on Thursday.

Expansion of the at-risk zone

All 25 towns in the so-called 'red zone' are set to present their plans within the next two weeks, and the plan for the seven new 'red zone' towns, in the Campi Flegrei between Pozzuoli and east Naples, is currently being drawn up, De Luca said.

He added that before the end of October, the region will single out 'priority areas' within the red zone which would be evacuated first.

The red zone is the area at highest risk if Vesuvius were to erupt, due to destructive pyroclastic flows.

Last year, experts recommended the expansion of this high-risk area from 18 towns and 550,000 residents to 25 towns and 672,000 residents.

The entire area would not be in immediate danger in the case of eruption, as the flows would likely go in a single direction. However, it's impossible to predict this in advance, so all local residents must be prepared to act quickly.

De Luca also announced that the towns would receive extra funding from the region, to improve infrastructure and help spread awareness of the emergency protocol.

It would only be evacuated if the highest of four alert levels was activated; the levels are basic level, attention, pre-alert and alert. In the pre-alert stage, those staying in hospitals and care homes would be moved, and monuments and other heritage would be secured.

A previous escape plan was drawn up in 2007, however local residents complained to the European Court of Human Rights about its inadequacy, and last year, geological experts recommended significant expansion of the 'at-risk' zones.

Buses, boats and trains

But just how do you get everyone in those towns out safely? It doesn't help that much of the affected zone is farmland, with rural country roads.

The plan aims at evacuating the entire 'red zone' in just 72 hours, using 12 hours for organization, 48 hours for moving, and an extra 12-hour 'security margin'. As well as the 375,000 registered cars in the area, the region is ready to put 500 buses and 220 trains into action each day of the evacuation period.

Each of the 25 regions has been 'twinned' with another area of Italy, where evacuated residents would be hosted. Different towns would be asked to use different modes of transport depending on their destination; for example, Pompei residents would take boats to Sardinia, while Neapolitans would board trains to Lazio.

Local authorities must prepare

The boundary changes also saw the expansion of the yellow zone - the area at second greatest risk, due to falling ash. Again, only a certain area would be affected (around ten percent of the whole zone), but depending on the severity of the ash falls, air, road and rail traffic are likely to be affected too.

The yellow zone now comprises 63 municipalities, and three Neapolitan districts.

The president of Italy's National Council of Geology, Francesco Peduto, said: "There is a thought-out plan from the National Civil Protection with previsions for the most likely scenario," but added that he feared "but those who would have to put this plan into action - that is, the local civil protection from the different towns involved - don't study [the plan] and may not be in a position to put it into action."

De Luca said that the plan would only work "if the towns themselves put in extraordinary effort, starting with the schools, where there should be informative brochures."

"Alarmism is pointlessm" he added. "We have no particular problems right now, but it is our duty to be prepared. Either you can pretend not to see challenges, or you can face them head on - even the most difficult.

"We should take advantage of the fact that Vesuvius is currently dormant, that it's giving no sign of movement, in order to prepare ourselves to cope with the emergency, should it wake up."

Italy's government set up a relocation programme for those living near Vesuvius in the early 2000's, offering money for families to move out of the danger zone - but this has not proved popular.

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Italy puzzles over how to save 700,000 people from wrath of Vesuvius

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The southern Campania region and Italy's Department of Civil Protection are drawing up a plan to get 700,000 people out of harm's way in the case of a volcanic eruption. Vesuvius is "a problem of gigantic proportions" De Luca said, "but we have to equip ourselves to be prepared."

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Mount Vesuvius: Why ACTIVE volcano is under 24-hour surveillance

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MOUNT VESUVIUS, the volcano best known for burying the Roman City of Pompeii in AD 79, is under constant surveillance as magma pushes towards the surface, a documentary revealed.

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Mount Vesuvius, one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world

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The Vesuvius is an unmistakable landmark of the Bay of Naples, and its beauty is captivating. However, it is as beautiful and spectacular as it is dangerous.

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When will Mount Vesuvius erupt again? | 60 Minutes Australia

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Home " Volcanoes " Mount Vesuvius

Article by Jessica Ball

Picture of Mount Vesuvius and Naples Bay

Mount Vesuvius Introduction

Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano. Vesuvius is most famous for the 79 AD eruption which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Though the volcano's last eruption was in 1944, it still represents a great danger to the cities that surround it, especially the busy metropolis of Naples.

Simplified plate tectonics cross-section

Map: Where is Vesuvius?

Mount Vesuvius: Plate Tectonic Setting

Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. This subduction zone stretches the length of the Italian peninsula, and is also the source of other volcanoes like Mount Etna, the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), Vulcano, and Stromboli. Under Vesuvius, the lower part of the subducting slab has torn and detached from the upper part to form what is called a "slab window." This makes Vesuvius' rocks slightly different chemically from the rocks erupted from the other Campanian volcanoes.

Plaster casts: Victims of the 79 A.D. eruption

Mount Vesuvius Geology and Hazards

The cone known as Mount Vesuvius began growing in the caldera of the Mount Somma volcano, which last erupted about 17,000 years ago. Most rocks erupted from Vesuvius are andesite, an intermediate volcanic rock (about 53-63% silica). Andesite lava creates explosive eruptions on a variety of scales, which makes Vesuvius an especially dangerous and unpredictable volcano. Strombolian eruptions (explosions of magma from a pool in the volcano's conduit) and lava flows from the summit and flank fissures are relatively small. Plinian eruptions (huge explosions that create columns of gas, ash and rock which can rise dozens of kilometers into the atmosphere) have a much greater reach, and have destroyed entire ancient cities near Vesuvius with huge ashfalls and pyroclastic flows. Vesuvius is currently quiet, with only minor seismic (earthquake) activity and outgassing from fumaroles in its summit crater, but more violent activity could resume in the future.

Ruins at the ancient city of Pompeii

The 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius is why volcanologists use "Plinian" to describe large volcanic eruption clouds. Pliny the Younger, a Roman historian who witnessed the 79 AD eruption, wrote the oldest surviving description of the tall, tree-shaped cloud that rose above the volcano. Modern volcanologists use the term to describe large-volume, violent eruptions that produce quickly-expanding clouds of rock, ash and gases which rise many miles into the atmosphere. Some more recent examples of Plinian eruptions include Mount St. Helens in 1980 and Pinatubo in 1990. Here is Pliny's description...

"On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew [my uncle's] attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. Its general appearance can be best expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. Sometimes it looked white, sometimes blotched and dirty, according to the amount of soil and ashes it carried with it."

Mount Vesuvius: Eruption History

Mount Vesuvius has experienced eight major eruptions in the last 17,000 years. The 79 AD eruption is one of the most well-known ancient eruptions in the world, and may have killed more than 16,000 people. Ash, mud and rocks from this eruption buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii is famous for the casts the hot ash formed around victims of the eruptions. The unfortunate people suffocated on ash in the air, which then covered them and preserved amazing details of their clothing and faces.

Location:
West coast of Italy

Coordinates:
40°49′ N 14°26′ E

Elevation:
1,281 m (4,000 feet)

Volcano Type:
Complex

Last Eruption:
1944

Nearby Volcanoes:
Etna Stromboli

Starting in 1631, Vesuvius entered a period of steady volcanic activity, including lava flows and eruptions of ash and mud. Violent eruptions in the late 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s created more fissures, lava flows, and ash-and-gas explosions. These damaged or destroyed many towns around the volcano, and sometimes killed people; the eruption of 1906 had more than 100 casualties. The most recent eruption was in 1944 during World War II. It caused major problems for the newly-arrived Allied forces in Italy when ash and rocks from the eruption destroyed planes and forced evacuations at a nearby airbase.

More Vesuvius Information

Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program Website: Vesuvius page.

Gates, A.E. and Ritchie, D., 2007, Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, Third Edition: New York, NY, Checkmark Books, 346 p.

Osservatorio Vesuviano (Vesuvius Observatory), Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia.

Wortel, M.J.R. and Spakman, W., 2000, Subduction and Slab Detachment in the Mediterranean-Carpathian Region: Science, v. 290, n. 5498, p. 1910-1917. Review (full text upon subscription).

The Letters of Pliny the Younger, Penguin Classics (translated by Betty Radice).

About the Author

Jessica Ball is a graduate student in the Department of Geology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her concentration is in volcanology, and she is currently researching lava dome collapses and pyroclastic flows. Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the College of William and Mary, and worked for a year at the American Geological Institute in the Education/Outreach Program. She also writes the Magma Cum Laude blog, and in what spare time she has left, she enjoys rock climbing and playing various stringed instruments.

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Mount Vesuvius, Italy: Map, Facts, Eruption Pictures, Pompeii

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Home " Volcanoes " Mount Vesuvius Article by Jessica Ball Picture of Mount Vesuvius and Naples Bay Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe, and has produced some of the continent's largest volcanic eruptions. Located on Italy's west coast, it overlooks the Bay and City of Naples and sits in the crater of the ancient Somma volcano.

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Invited perspectives: The volcanoes of Naples: how can the highest volcanic risk in the world be effectively mitigated?

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Abstract. The Naples (southern Italy) area has the highest volcanic
risk in the world due to the coexistence of three highly explosive
volcanoes (Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia) with extremely dense
urbanisation. More than 3 million people live to within 20
kilometres from a possible eruptive vent. Mitigating such an extreme risk is
made difficult because volcanic eruption forecasting is currently an empirical
procedure with a very uncertain outcome. This paper starts by recalling the state
of the art of eruption forecasting, and then describes the main hazards in the
Neapolitan area, shortly presenting the activity and present state of its
volcanoes. Then, it proceeds to suggest the most effective procedures to
mitigate the extreme volcanic and associated risks. The problem is addressed
in a highly multidisciplinary way, taking into account the main economic,
sociological and urban issues. The proposed mitigation actions are then
compared with the existing emergency plans, developed by Italian Civil
Protection, by highlighting their numerous, very evident faults. Our study,
besides regarding the most complex and extreme situation of volcanic risk in
the world, gives guidelines for assessing and managing volcanic risk in any
densely urbanised area.

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Italy: Volcano neighbours refuse to move

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Experts are warning that Mount Vesuvius’s next stirring could produce an even more devastating eruption than the one that buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculanaeum in AD79.