Mount Vesuvius: the backway

Visiting Naples? Then most likely Mount Vesuvius is also part of your trip. Taking the shuttle up to the ticket gates, you'll get to peek into the world-famous crater. You might even spot some fumaroles, before buying a souvenir and heading back down with the crowds. Pretty good. But if you’re not afraid to get a little volcanic sand in your shoes, there’s a much better way to do it!
​
We leave our rental Lancia in Ottaviano (at the end of Via Recupe) and hit the trails on an unusually cool day in late May. Mix-and-matching Along the Cognoli (path two) with the Valley of Hell (path one), we finally reach the icing on the cake: il Gran Cono (path five).

​Most dangerous volcano on earth

A shaded forest trail gradually takes us up for the first kilometres. Despite the mild temperatures, the coverage of the foliage is still pleasant. More open, narrow stretches follow, bordered by the yellow and pink of broom and red valerian.

While the view of Ottaviano in the valley is beautiful in and of itself, the real magic happens when we turn up a little hill and the giant suddenly looms over us: Mount Vesuvius, causer of great destruction. In 79 AD, an eruption buried the entire town of Pompeii in ash. Although the volcano is in a quiescent stage, it is still an active threat to the densely populated city of Naples. Three million people live near enough to be affected by a future eruption, making the Vesuvius one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
​
But today, there’s not a hint of violence, only awe-inspiring views as we circle the mountain on the gorgeous ridges parallel to it. Hiking up and down mounds of volcanic ash, we regularly have to stop to empty out our shoes. Not only the views of Mount Vesuvius are stunning; to our left, the Gulf of Naples appears below in all its azure splendour. 

Hell has never looked so lush

We finally descend into the Valley of Hell. Despite its name, it looks nothing like the inferno: lush, lush and lush. The only hellish suffering it inflicts is an acute case of hay fever, when we cross its colourful fields that are in full bloom.

Four other hikers, two mountain bikers and countless lizards. Those are all the living souls we meet until the trail joins the paved road that winds up to the ticket gates. Bored bus drivers are parked along the street, leaving their engines running while they wait. Vans manoeuvre in the crowded parking lot and souvenir shops demand our instant attention. Hordes gather by the gates, where the security staff only create more chaos when trying to clear up their confusion. Instant sensory overload.
​
We learn the hard way that we could've saved our lungs the exhaust fumes by taking a little detour to the Gran Cono’s back entrance. This allows you to skip the hustle and bustle in the congested parking lot altogether. Make sure to have a valid ticket, however, as the back entrance is also staffed by a ranger. In our case, a friendly woman opening the gate for us an hour ahead of our reservation. 

Il Gran Cono

Under the threat of dark, menacing clouds, we swiftly make our way up a narrow trail to reach the popular semicircular ridge. There, we join the crowds to glance into the elliptical crater. At its widest, its diameter is 580 m. Along its inner walls, some fumaroles give us the feeling of looking into an active volcano.

No time to linger, though. A thunderstorm is imminent. The first lightning bolts pierce the sky as we start heading back down to the gate. “Guys, descend quickly,” the worried ranger advises us. “Sì, giù giù giù!” Stef acknowledges her concern with the little Italian he picked up the day before, painting a smile on her face before rushing down the sandy slopes.
​
When we return to our B&B that evening, our warm-hearted host Roberto takes a puzzled look at our dust-covered feet. When hearing all about our little adventure, he is certain: “Siete pazzi!” We’re crazy. Though probably not in the sense he intends it, we do agree. We are crazy in love with the mighty mountain towering over his hometown.

Practical info

• Buy your ticket for the crater online before your visit.
• By combining the Vesuvius National Park trails one, two and five, we hiked a loop of roughly 22 km.
• You can find the GXP-files on All Trails.