Mount Vesuvius behind city of Naples, Italy

Mount Vesuvius behind city of Naples. The modern cone of Vesuvius is flanked on the left by Monte Somma, the rim of a caldera that formed about 17,000 years ago. Eight major explosive eruptions have occurred since, including the 79 CE eruption that destroyed Pompeii and other towns. A period of frequent, long-duration eruptions began in 1631, and the most recent eruption of Vesuvius was in 1944.  USGS photo by Dan Dzurisin, 1983 (https://volcano.si.edu/gallery/ShowImage.cfm?photo=GVP-01531).