Day eight - Vesuvius

Visiting Mount Vesuvius was another bucket list item, and it was good to hike it after seeing the damage wreaked by its last major eruption in 79AD.

Halfway up Mount Vesuvius

The coach ride from Ercolano station was certainly entertaining. The driver insisted on honking his horn at every junction and turn in the road and it was only when we encountered similar bus loads of tourists coming in the opposite direction that it became clear. These drivers are doing the journey several times a day, but I’m not sure I would ever want to undertake it in my own vehicle.

As we navigated the winding road from town to the hike departure point, we passed a number of cafes and bars, as well as car parks and people hiking in all directions on the mountain. It’s obviously a web of trails across the lava-strewn landscape that attracts many hikers. A few stalwart groups were on the road, heading for the summit and dodging the traffic.

If that journey wasn’t fraught enough, arriving at the coach drop off point added a new level of stress. Coaches, minibuses and taxis were dropping off hikers before they headed down the hillside and we all trudged up the dusty path to the rim of the volcano.

There is a system. Apparently. Huge coaches were turning around while hikers milled about and the cafe owner tried to take as much money from us as possible. There seemed to be a gateway, through which people passed at the time shown on their ticket. Except that some people had travelled all the way to this point with a bus ticket and no entry pass. Which you get online, and there’s no service at the top of Mount Vesuvius.

Ignoring those with their own issues, we were allowed to start the final ascent half an hour earlier than our scheduled time. Eschewing the offer of a guide, we made our own way along the well-trodden path until we saw the rim of the volcano and the fabulous views.

The top of Mount Vesuvius

It really was an extraordinary experience and one I can now tick off my bucket list.

After the similarly arduous coach ride back into Herculaneum, we enjoyed lunch and then a dip in the pool for our last evening at our best hotel.