Italy: Climbing Mt Vesuvius

So have you ever climbed to the top of a volcano? An odd question and one I would have had to say no to up until a couple of weeks ago. That was until I climbed to the top of Mt Vesuvius. Mr ESLT and I were staying in Sorrento and decided that climbing Mt Vesuvius, an active volcano would be a great experience. The trip we booked was via Acampora Travel. It cost £39.50 per person including a morning in Pompeii with a guide. Mt Vesuvius is located just over 22km from Naples and 49km (this is a toll road) from Sorrento. It can be seen from all around the area. In fact, the ‘humpbacked’ volcano dominates the view from Sorrento. So when the day came for me to visit I was very excited.

History of Mt Vesuvius

Mt Vesuvius is a volcano that I’m sure most people have heard of because of its massive eruption in 79AD. Ash and pumice from it covered Pompeii. Unfortunately, the exact number of deaths in the city is not known. However, it did run into the thousands (estimated to be around 16,000). Therefore it seems that Mt Vesuvius isn’t famous per se but more infamous because of this. It’s now considered to be one of, if not, the most dangerous volcanos in the world. This is because of the infrastructure around it including the 3,000,000 people living within its vicinity. Also, it is the only volcano on the European mainland that has erupted within the last hundred years. In fact, it is a very active volcano and has erupted a number of times.

Parking at Mt Vesuvius

To get to the car park on Mt Vesuvius you have to be at least a semi-professional Formula 1 driver. The twists and turns on the narrow road up there had me holding my breath, closing my eyes and breathing in. Luckily we were on a bus with a very experienced and confident driver. He had obviously navigated this road many times.

If you are planning on driving there yourself take it slow and steady. Also, listen out for the horns of oncoming traffic especially on the blind corners. Car parks spaces are limited and coaches are not allowed to stay there. Therefore, if you do decide to drive yourself you probably need to be a patient person unlike a lot of people who were parked there (and stuck there for a considerable time) that day.

Entrance Fee and Climbing Mt Versuvius

There is, of course, an entrance fee to get on the volcano of €10 per person (adult) payable on arrival. As soon as we had paid the entrance fee and walked onto the path to the summit we were offered a walking stick to help us on the hike. There is no fee for the stick. However, you should pay a tip when you returned it. We decided that we did not need the walking aid and politely declined the offer.

The average time it takes to climb Mt Vesuvius is between 20 and 40 minutes depending on fitness level. Now I’m not making excuses but I had a full-blown cold. Therefore, I was struggling to breathe on the flat ground let alone when climbing up a volcano. So I’ll be honest I struggled. It was quite embarrassing having 70 odd-year-olds passing me at a pace as I clung to the side gasping for air.

So needless to say it took me the full 40 minutes to get to the summit. In reality, this is not a strenuous climb. Therefore, if you are of regular fitness or above please do not be put off by my tale of woe. On a normal day (cold-free) I would have climbed this bad boy a lot quicker I’m sure (at least that’s what I’m telling myself).

Views from Mt Vesuvius

It was quite misty/foggy the day we did the climb. Therefore, the views out over the towns below weren’t that great but still impressive. The most impressive thing and the main event that made the climb worthwhile was being able to see into the crater.

This may be Mr ESLT’s sceptical nature or he may have a point but there is a part in the crater that is actually smoking. He questioned whether this was staged to make people think that she could blow at any second(?). The crater is about 650 metres and you can walk most of the way around it. There are a couple of shops at the top which sell the usual souvenirs and refreshments.

Now as the saying goes ‘what goes up must come down’ and that’s what we had to do too. Luckily for me, the walk down was a lot easier than the torture of going up. However, both Mr ESLT and I both commented it is pretty hard going on your knees. Without timing ourselves I’d estimate it took us between 15 and 20 minutes to get back down to the car park.

What To Wear

The path up to the top is gravel so don’t forget to wear sensible shoes, perhaps not brand new, bright white converse which quickly became a dirty grey colour. Also remember a bottle of water, sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the hot Italian sun on summer days.

Even though the ascent was quite difficult because of my cold I’m so glad that I still did it and had a chance to experience the views of both the towns below and inside the crater. The only way of reaching the summit is by foot so if you feel that your fitness level is not at least average level then maybe this isn’t for you. It was also a great bit of exercise especially in a country where most food (well my favourite foods) are carb-loaded.

And let’s just say the pint of Peroni I had when I got back to the hotel was very well deserved and I can now, without hesitation say that yes I have climbed to the top of a volcano.