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Vesuvio

The volcanic mountain of Vesuvius stands proud and dominating over the bay of Naples. As I sit on a fourth floor terrace in Sorrento, a constant smoke-like cloud hangs above the summit. This is what I have waited for, a real volcano, the only one considered active on mainland Europe and the one who famously destroyed Pompeii. In a dormant cycle at the moment, sometime in the future, this view with the blue sky will change again as it did in 79 AD. My obsession with geology spans back years and while I wait for morning and the time when I will be heading up towards that cloud, I wish I could see it happen.

The climb up the mountain begins gradually in 'Torre del Greco', through the fertile land and white houses, whose inhabitants no longer fear 'Vesuvio'. Vegetation grows wildly, multi colored flowers spring up randomly, sheltered by the young trees. It has taken sixty years for them to reclaim this land and they could be wiped out in seconds. A restaurant perched on a protruding rock knows the dangers and the beauty, as it calmly prepares for the tourists of the day.
The track takes a sudden incline and turns barren. Life fades into the background as dusty red and orange rocks take its place. The coach stops at the 'quota mille' (1000 meters) and the rest is on foot. The edge of the crater is clearly visible but the last 281 meters cannot be climbed straight up. As I push myself through the heat, along the zig zagging path with my brother, I gaze up and wonder what would happen if we saw smoke.
Not far away is the smaller summit of Mount Somma, the one that lead Pompeii to its fate. The mud like lava from an eruption in 1944 lies between the two Caldera's. Green shrubs force their way through the rock surrounding the Lava. Some eight kilometers below us, a magma field four hundred kilometers wide stretches beyond Naples, waiting to be released.
We reach the top and join the mass of tourists. We strain to look over them and duck forward every time someone leaves. Slowly we squeeze our way closer to what we're longing to see.
"You won't be able to see any steam at this time of year," I hear a tour guide say. "Because the air is hotter outside than the gases being released."
Jonathon and I exchange disappointed looks, that was what we wanted to see.
"What do you think of it?" I ask my brother as we finally get a good view of the crater.
"It doesn't seem deep enough."
I agree with him, it feels like I could just run down into the center of it. I expected to be able

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