Until its violent eruption on August 24, 79 A.D. no-one knew that the SOMMA-VESUVIUS, famous for its excellent wines, was a volcano. The huge cloud, was seen by the roman Admiral Pliny the Elder, who hastened to help the Pompeian's from the base of Museum but unfortunately death overtook him during his scientific investigation. The description given by Pliny the Younger in two dramatic letters to Tacitus was the eruption's only testimony. Pompei, a roman Colony, was submerged under a layer of ash, pumice and then devastated by surge. Herculaneum was also destroyed by piroclastic flows and by mudflows. As time passed and there were further eruptions, no- one could discover the exact location of Pompei. It was with the formation of the kingdom of Italy in 1860 that the excavations of the ancient cities were  entrusted to Giuseppe Fiorelli. From the time of its 1631 eruption Vesuvius has been characterized by intense activity attracting scientists, visitors and men of letters from all over the world.

For this reason, in 1841, Ferdinand II, the Bourbon King of the Two Sicilys, ordered the construction of the first Observatory in the world; the Vesuvian Observatory. The present appearance of Vesuvius is the result of the most recent volcanic activity in 1944. At that time, the villages of S. Sebastiano al Vesuvio and Massa di Somma were damaged. Actually the volcano is quiescent, perhaps it will remain dormant for tens, hundreds or even thousands of years.