Vesuvius National Park, National park near Naples, Italy.
Vesuvius National Park is a protected area in the Metropolitan City of Naples that wraps around an active volcano and covers slopes with Mediterranean scrub, pine woods, and wild orchids. The landscape shifts from green terraces with fruit trees to bare lava fields left by past eruptions.
The national park was founded in the mid-1990s to protect the natural and geological features of mainland Europe's only active volcano. For centuries, eruptions have shaped the coastline and buried ancient Roman settlements beneath layers of ash and pumice.
The name Vesuvius comes from a pre-Latin root meaning fire or smoke, and local families still tend small vineyards and orchards on the lower slopes. You can see traditional stone huts dotting the fields where farmers store tools and rest during harvest season.
The park is open daily, and several marked trails lead through different zones with varying difficulty and length. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and bring water, as some paths are steep and exposed to sun.
The trail to the summit lets visitors walk around the rim of an active crater and spot scientific monitoring equipment at several points. The ground is still warm in places and releases faint sulfur vapors that remind you the mountain is not asleep.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
