Mount Vesuvius looms in the distance from the ancient ruins of Pompeii. This volcano is best known for its eruption in 79 AD that buried and destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The towns were forgotten until their accidental rediscovery in the 18th century. Photo #1 by Glen Scarborough

Bay of Naples and Vesuvio, as the volcano is known as in Italy. Photo #2 by Julius V

Looking down at Vesuvius from a plane. Wikipedia lists these many eruptions of Mount Vesuvius: The famous eruption in 79 AD was preceded by numerous others in prehistory, including at least three significantly larger ones, the best known being the Avellino eruption around 1800 BC which engulfed several Bronze Age settlements. Since 79 AD, the volcano has also erupted repeatedly, in 172, 203, 222, possibly 303, 379, 472, 512, 536, 685, 787, around 860, around 900, 968, 991, 999, 1006, 1037, 1049, around 1073, 1139, 1150, and there may have been eruptions in 1270, 1347, and 1500.The volcano erupted again in 1631, six times in the 18th century, eight times in the 19th century (notably in 1872), and in 1906, 1929, and 1944. There has been no eruption since 1944, and none of the post-79 eruptions were as large or destructive as the Pompeian one. Photo #3 by Pastorius

The height of the main cone has changed constantly by its eruptions, but is Vesuvius looms at 4,203 ft (1,281 m). Photo #4 by Paul Young

Mount Vesuvius in the morning. Photo #5 by Trey Ratcliff

Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background. The humpbacked mountain started forming about 25,000 years ago, but the area has had volcanic activity for at least 400,000 years. Photo #6 by Kim Navarre

Massa Lubrense and Vesuvio – Italy. Photo #7 by MorBCN

Stormy morning sky, ray of sunlight visible on the foothills of Vesuvio. Photo #8 by Julius V

Viewpoint of Mount Vesuvius and Capri island from a hill of Maddaloni, Italy. Photo #9 by Kris de Curtis

Ruins of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 13 to 20 ft (4 to 6 m) of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1,700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1749. Now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This very popular tourist attractions in Italy has about 2,500,000 visitors per year. Photo #10 by Trey Ratcliff

Vesuvio victims in Pompeii. The excavated town offers a snapshot of Roman life in the 1st century, and of the people, frozen at the moment it was buried on 24 August AD 79. Photo #11 by Fer.filol

Castel dell’ Ovo as seen from Mergellina. Photo #12 by vick1111

An oil on canvas painting from the 1770s by Pierre-Jacques Volaire: View of the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The volcano’s eruption and destruction of Pompeii has captured the imagination of artists for hundreds of years. Photo #13 by Web Gallery of Art

Mergellina harbor with views of Vesuvius and Castle dell ‘Ovo. Photo #14 by vick1111

Vesuvius and Pompeii. Photo #15 by MorBCN

The “Garden of the Fugitives” in Pompeii. The plaster casts of victims still on site, although many casts are in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. Photo #16 by Lancevortex

Giant Valley at Vezúvi Nemzeti Park. Photo #17 by Radomil

To the top of Vesuvius. The photographer wrote, “These steps are near the end of the long trek to the top of Vesuvius. One of my favorite shots of the long walk to the top. Kind of like a ‘stairway to heaven’ alongside a vent that spewed the fires of hell.” Photo #18 by Jim Landerkin

The mouth of Vesuvius, Italy. Photo #19 by S J Pinkney

Panoramic view of the Forum of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius. Photo #20 by Heinz-Josef Lücking

Pompeii Victims. In a sick twist of fate, the infamous volcano erupted the day after Vulcanalia, the festival of the Roman god of fire. Photo #21 by Sören Bleikertz, edited by Simon Eugster

Street in Pompeii, Italy – Vesuvius in background. Photo #22 by Julie F

Well-preserved Pompeian. The photographer noted, “Pompeii was buried under the ash and rubble of Mount Vesuvius, the objects buried beneath it were remarkably well-preserved for thousands of years. The lack of air and moisture allowed for the objects to remain underground with little to no deterioration, which meant that, once excavated, the site had a wealth of sources and evidence for analysis, giving remarkable detail into the lives of the Pompeians.” Photo #23 by Dr. Wendy Longo

Ruins of Pompeii, with Mount Vesuvius towering above. Photo #24 by Rob Luck

Evening view of Naples from Camaldoli. Photo #25 by Massimo Finizio

Naples – A view taken from Villa Tolentino by Giacomo Brogi in the 1800s. Photo #26 by Giacomo Brogi (1822-1881)

Satellite of Mount Vesuvius, Naples, Italy. Photo #27 by NASA

18th century painting – Vesuvius from Portici. Photo #28 by Joseph Wright of Derby

Naples and the volcano from the sky. Photo #29 by François de Nodrest

The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia passes Mount Vesuvius after a port visit to Naples, Italy. U.S. Navy Photo #30 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Parker

Vesuvius under snow. Photo #31 by Sabine Cretella

Celebrity Solstice with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Photo #32 by Kim Navarre

Naples – Panorama – Hand-tinted photograph of Chiaia, a district of Naples, from the hill of Posillipo. Photo #33 by Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914)

Napoli marina with Vesuvio and stormy skies in the background. Photo #34 by Roberto Moschen Jr.

Mount Vesuvius sculpture. Photo #35 by EasyFigure

The view from Sorrento, Italy. Photo #36 by MorBCN

Vesuvius, a stratovolcano, is still regarded as an active volcano, but its current activity produces little more than steam from vents at the bottom or sides of the crater. Photo #37 by Radomil

Dramatized scene from Pompeii – The Last Day. Photo #38 by Crew Creative

Mt Vesuvius – The active cone is the high peak on the left side; the smaller one on the right is part of the Somma caldera wall. Photo #39 by Morn the Gorn

Mt Vesuvius erupting in March 1944. Photo #40 by John Reinhardt, B24 tailgunner is the USAAF in WWII

The area around the volcano is now densely populated. Voting trends in the New 7 Wonders of Nature competition show it to be a current favorite. Let’s hope there never is another ‘last day’ as there was in Pompeii. Photo #41 by Jeffmatt