Vesuvius Park
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Access
The Vesuvius National Park can be reached from the Napoli-Salerno motorway by exiting at Ercolano or Torre del Greco for the southern and western slopes, or by exiting at Pompeii for the south-eastern slope. From the northern side, use the Nola exit of the motorway. The Park Authority headquarters is located in Ottaviano (NA), in the Palazzo Mediceo in Via Palazzo del Principe - a building confiscated from the Camorra and returned to the community in 2003. The main gateway for visiting the Gran Cono is Piazzale Ercolano at about 1,000 m above sea level, which can be reached by taking the Strada Provinciale Ercolano-Vesuvio; from here the trails for the crater and the park's nature areas start out. The most direct rail connection is the Circumvesuviana (Naples-Sorrento line with a stop at Ercolano Scavi, or the Naples-Poggiomarino line with stops at Ottaviano and Somma Vesuviana), from which one continues by shuttle bus or taxi to the park. The reference airport is Napoli Capodichino. For access to the Gran Cono, it is compulsory to purchase a ticket online. The park can be visited all year round, but the opening of trails and access conditions may vary depending on weather conditions and volcano activity; it is always advisable to check the updated information on the official website before leaving.
.Introduction
The Vesuvius National Park was established by the Presidential Decree of 5 June 1995, published in the Official Gazette no. 181 of 4 August 1995, with the aim of conserving the Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex and its biodiversity, and the geological, landscape and historical-archaeological values of the territory. It covers 8,482 hectares in the Metropolitan City of Naples, comprising thirteen municipalities entirely in Campania. It is the smallest national park in Italy and the only one completely immersed in a metropolitan area of almost one million inhabitants: its status as a "natural island" in an urban context among the most densely populated in Europe makes it a unique case in the history of Italian national parks. The Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex is the most dangerous active volcano in continental Europe - the surrounding high-risk volcanic area is home to around 700,000 people - and one of the most studied in the world. The Royal Vesuvius Observatory, built in 1845 on the slopes of the volcano, is the oldest volcanological observatory in the world.
Description
The Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex is a geological case of exceptional scientific interest. Its eruptive history began around 400,000 years ago; the most certain information concerns the last 25,000 years. It is a typical enclosure volcano (or calderic volcano): Monte Somma represents the remains of the ancient volcanic edifice, with its semicircular caldera and summit at Punta Nasone (1,132m); inside the Somma caldera is the Gran Cono del Vesuvio (1,281m), formed as a result of more recent eruptions. The two are separated by the Valle del Gigante - divided into Atrio del Cavallo and Valle dell'Inferno - a remnant of the ancient caldera. The eruption of 79 A.D. was one of the most catastrophic of the historical era: in a few hours it buried the Roman colonies of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabia (Castellammare di Stabia) and Oplonti (Torre Annunziata) under ashes, lapilli and pyroclastic flows, preserving them almost intact for almost seventeen centuries. The last eruption occurred in 1944, during World War II, with lava flows reaching San Sebastiano al Vesuvio. The area is famous in mineralogy for hosting one of the richest mineral deposits on the planet: more than 100 minerals have been identified, many of which were discovered here for the first time and are still named with reference to Vesuvius (vesuvianite, vesuvite, etc.).
The two sides of the volcanic complex present profoundly different natural environments. The Vesuvian slope is drier, largely reforested with pines, broom and Mediterranean scrub to counteract the landslide phenomena triggered by lava flows; the Monte Somma slope, which is wetter and sheltered from the winds, is home to mixed woods of chestnut (Castanea sativa), Neapolitan maple (Acer obtusatum), holm oak (Quercus ilex) and downy oak (Quercus pubescens), as well as Neapolitan alder (Alnus cordata) - an endemic species of southern Italy - and small nuclei of relicts in the area;southern Italy - and small relict cores of birch (Betula pendula), a relic from colder climates. The total flora counts 906 species recorded for the entire Somma-Vesuvius complex, 612 of which are within the park perimeter; 2% are considered endangered. Among the most significant species: the Silene giraldii - a flower now only found in Campania (Vesuvius, Capri, Ischia) and Sardinia - and Etna broom (Genista aetnensis), an Etnean endemism introduced to Vesuvius after the 1906 eruption that now forms dense thickets in the Atrio del Cavallo and Valle dell'Inferno. There are 19-23 species of wild orchids, protected by the Washington Convention. The cooled lavas from the most recent eruption of 1944 are colonised by the lichen Stereocaulon vesuvianum, a pioneer species exclusive to Vesuvius, the first life form to settle on the lava and prepare the soil for subsequent vegetation; grey in colour and coralloid in shape, on full moon nights it gives the lava fields a silvery sheen.
The fauna, despite the park's biogeographical isolation in a metropolitan setting, is surprisingly rich: 29 ascertained mammal species, including fox (Vulpes vulpes), marten (Martes foina), hare (Lepus europaeus) and wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus); 44 species of diurnal butterflies; more than 200 species of fungi. Among reptiles are the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata), the grass snake (Hierophis viridiflavus) and the warty haemidactylus (Hemidactylus turcicus); among amphibians, the green toad (Bufotes viridis). The avifauna is particularly significant due to the position of Vesuvius along the main migratory routes: the buzzard (Buteo buteo), the kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) nest, the imperial raven (Corvus corax), the rufous-tailed rock thrush (Monticola saxatilis) and the lonely sparrow (Monticola solitarius); During migration, woodcocks, green lizards, orioles, bee-eaters and hundreds of other species in transit from sub-Saharan wintering grounds.
The area of the park has been frequented by humans for thousands of years: first the Greeks and then the Romans colonised these fertile strata - the volcanic soils are among the most productive in the Mediterranean - and built villas and flourishing towns here. In addition to the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum - the park's main archaeological sites, accessible but outside the narrow perimeter - the area is home to the Vesuvian Villas of the Golden Mile, a series of 18th-century aristocratic residences along the coast of Herculaneum and Torre del Greco. The Royal Vesuvius Observatory of Herculaneum, built in 1845 at the behest of Ferdinand II of Bourbon and designed by Gaetano Fazzini, is now the headquarters of the Naples branch of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and a museum of volcanology. The pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio DOP - grown on the lava soils on the slopes of the volcano - is the area's most representative agricultural product.
Information
General data
Typology: National Park
Year of establishment: 1995 (D.P.R. 5 June 1995; G.U. no. 181 of 4 August 1995); provisional perimeter: D.M. 4 December 1992
Managing body: Ente Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio
Reference body: Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica
Area: 84,82 km²
Minimum altitude: ~100m
Maximum altitude: 1.281m
Maximum elevation: 1,281m - Gran Cono del Vesuvio (Ercolano NA / Trecase NA)
Region(s): Campania
Province: Metropolitan City of Naples
Municipalities concerned: Boscoreale - Boscotrecase - Herculaneum - Massa di Somma - Ottaviano - Pollena Trocchia - San Giuseppe Vesuviano - San Sebastiano al Vesuvio - Sant'Anastasia - Somma Vesuviana - Terzigno - Torre del Greco - Trecase
Official website: https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it