Today’s chore was to be quite laid back. First we planned a drive up to the car park at Mount Vesuvius, then a ride on the chair lift to the summit, followed by a short drive to nearby Herculaneum. Being British we avoided the motorway toll by using the urban roads. That was the first mistake. Tom Tom said it would put 10 minutes on the 27 mile journey. In reality it took an extra half an hour through continuous urban sprawl, punctuated only by pot holes, non functioning traffic lights, scooter riders with a death wish and car drivers with no concept of “other traffic”. There is one positive aspect to the bad road. There are quite a number of young lady scooter riders and the rough roads cause some very interesting wobbles. The danger here is that the scooters often wobble as well.
Having wound our way up Vesuvius we found that the chair lift no longer exists and the only way to the top was via a steep loose surfaced path which takes about half an hour for the moderately fit. I’m not telling how long it took us. The views from the top across the Bay of Naples are spectacular but the main interest is the volcano itself. Vesuvius is mainland Europe’s only active volcano and scientists have calculated that it should erupt every 30 years or so. The last eruption was in 1944. The only signs of activity at the moment are small puffs of smoke from the crater sides and the feint smell of sulphur. Looking around the crater, there is no doubt about the power unleashed when it does decide to go off. After walking as far as we could around the rim it was time for the descent. The path is just steep enough for your feet to roll from under you on the loose surface so care must be taken. The other danger was hundreds of school kids coming up the other way whilst texting on their phones and not looking where they’re going.
Back at the Smart we set course for Herculaneum about 4 miles away in the middle of town. Tom Tom knew where the site was but didn’t know the road network is being reconstructed and access roads have changed completely. It was a case of ignoring the female instructions and finding my own way, a task that I found quite familiar. Herculaneum is in a similar state to Pompeii although some of the buildings are more intact because the eruption of Vesuvius didn’t hit here quite so hard. Some of the wooden structures are still in place although heavily charred. Like Pompeii, most of the artefacts found have found their way into museums. What a pity they haven’t been replaced by replicas showing them in their true context. Herculaneum was a small fishing community unlike the large wealthy city of Pompeii and is therefore much smaller. Our visit lasted about two hours before we made our way back to the campsite, this time using the motorway.
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