Repubblica
Authorities evacuated on Wednesday one of Italy’s most recognised “volcanoes” over concern for the safety of visitors to an ancient town amid an ongoing eruption on the island of Sicily.
Residents and thousands of tourists have been forced to leave the ancient city of Pompeii – sometimes called the “Pearl of the Adriatic” – over fears of a long-term risk from heavy ashfall.
The decision comes on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the eruption of Vesuvius, the volcano that killed about 75,000 people in A.D. 79.
The death toll from the eruption of Vesuvius during the same century is estimated at 100,000.
Reached magma flow in approximately the past 48 hours, with continuing alert levels. Limited but increasing frequency of airborne ashfall and a higher percentage of ash remains close to surface…
Italy’s ANSA news agency cited an alert level of 5 in the city, which means a major eruption of the volcano could take place in the next few days. The level can be elevated to a 4.5 warning of an impending eruption, the alert level which was issued at dawn on Wednesday morning.
Watched as the “Explosion of Vesuvius” as Pizzaparugi – Kracholle – Bieszczpf – Baci – Pizzaparugi, a famous play by the Polish poet Ruben Meko, The fire, the miseries, love, death, it seems very dramatic but we’re talking about one sort of safety…
About Pizzaparugi
The eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii, Enna, Alexandria and almost all Pompeii-like towns in Southern Italy and in North Africa, where it obliterated towns including Carthage and Sidon, the crown jewel of Roman art and culture.
But Pompeii survived largely because of a rich ore deposit, good land management and the creation of the largest municipal housing complex in the ancient world. This act of urban planning was similar to the fashion of city planning in other parts of the Roman Empire in response to competition from historic Armenian settlements to the north.
Pompeii’s exact location remains a mystery. It was built near the coast of Lake Bracciano about six kilometres from the northeastern edge of the city at the end of the Last Caesars, the battle against the Megalithic culture at the end of the Age of Melchizedek.
The city flourished and later expanded to occupy about 350 hectares (926 acres) of the rolling countryside around Lake Bracciano.