Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano located in the east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. It is considered as one of world’s most dangerous volcano because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby.
The most famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius happened in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the death of 10,000 to 25,000 people.
The summit of Mount Vesuvius is open to visitors and tourists and there is a small network of paths around the mountain that are maintained by the park authorities on weekends. There is also an access by road to within 200 metres (660 ft) of the summit, but thereafter access is on foot only. There is a spiral walkway around the mountain from the road to the crater.
The Mount Vesuvius area it is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world. The area around it was officially declared a national park on June 1995.
