New Vulcano

Napoli has the distinction of being an absolutely beautiful city with wonderfully friendly people.  It also has the distinction of being in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D.  Mt. Vesuvius has erupted numerous times since then, but none with the destructive force of the 79 A.D. eruption.

What most people don't know is the 3rd largest super volcano is also located in the Napoli region.  Just on the other side of the Gulf of Naples lies Campi Flegrei, otherwise known as the Phlegrian Fields.  It occupies a major portion of the Northern coast of the Gulf of Naples, including underwater.  Part of Campi Flegrei are the volcanic islands of Ischia and Procida.  What people don't know is that the entire region is riddled with volcanos.  Monte Nuovo is a recently formed volcanic cone (1538).  Ischia Island is an active volcano, although it hasn't erupted in 700 years.

This is a view off the coast of Ischia

The city of San Francisco, Ischia.  Below is the Port of Ischia.

  Well, this morning as I was reading and having my coffee, I read that there is a new volcano forming in the middle of the Bay of Naples, just outside the harbor.  This new volcano is located about 12 Km outside the Port of Naples at a current depth of 500 ft. underwater.  While it is not posing any immediate threat, scientist have been noticing the ground swelling and large amounts of volcanic gases spewing from numerous vents.

Map of volcanic region of Naples.  Below is the cone of Mt. Vesuvius.

So, this is the "dolce vita" of living in a ticking time bomb region.  

Tempus fugit! No joke!!!

Wow, it's been 5 years since I've posted anything.  Since my last posting I am now living a wonderful life in Succivo, Caserta, Campania, Italy.  That's a mouthful!  Succivo is the village, Caserta is the provence (think county), Campania is the region (think state), and of course Italy is the country.  It's located in the southern region of Italy, just below Rome.  The capital city of Campania is Naples.  Succivo is about 12 km outside the city of Naples.

I've been living here, on and off, since December 2011.  At first it was a 3 month here, 3 months in the U.S. trade-off.  This lasted until March 2014 when I had a stroke while traveling from Italy to the U.S.  Having a stroke is scary enough, but having it while in a strange hotel in a strange country was just bad luck.  Thankfully I have a wonderful partner who came to my rescue and brought me back to Italy.  I'm unable to travel by air now, so it would seem I am here to stay.  Not that it's a bad thing, Italy is quite beautiful and the people are incredibly friendly and hospitable.