Volcanic tourism
The current interest in volcanic eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala brings memories of Vesuvius
I have found it odd that in all the media coverage of the eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii, no journalist has drawn comparisons between the Hawaiian volcano and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius outside Naples in 79 A.D. (Vesuvius’ most recent eruption was in 1944.)
This may be becuse Kilauea is a “baby” when compared with Vesuvius, the latter having become one of the greatest tourist attractions in all of Italy.
The cataclysmic eruption of Vesuvius gave the residents of Pompeii and Herculaneum only scant minutes to escape its fury. Today, on the grounds of Pompeii and nearby, one still can see the footprints of residents fleeing for their lives. But most, nevertheless, were asphyxiated and killed by a blanket of ash and pumice that snuffed out their lives. Those materials also left intact for present-day archaeologists an amazing volume of everyday evidence of how life was lived some 2,000 years ago.
All the volcanologists presently are predicting that Vesuvius will erupt again, and fairly soon, with greater force than ever, endangering the many hundreds of thousands of residents in nearby Naples. Despite that likelihood, the residents are staying in Naples, poohpoohing the fears of scientists.
The tourists also keep coming. Each year, several million of them head to both Pompeii (several miles from Naples) and the city of Herculaneum (on the very outskirts of Naples, reached by foot from the center of the city).
Personally, I would skip Herculaneum, which really displays only the walls and floors of ancient Roman homes. This is in contrast to the many fascinating artifacts of life in the Pompeii, which are a profound lesson for all of us.
Kilauea provides insight into the fragility of life on our planet, but it does so with much less effect than in unfortunate Pompeii.
Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.