Memory of Fire, Italian Style

An exhibit coming in March to the British Museum is titled Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

As an extension of the exhibit, a filmed tour of the show will be screened worldwide.

Street in Pompeii

The subterranean tremors and fiery eruptions of Typhoeus are ever on Ovid's mind as his poem approaches Italy. The landscape still attracts tourists:

Our adventure in Italy’s south—the mezzogiorno—is framed by a sublime setting: the dramatic volcano-isles of Stromboli, Vulcano, Lipari, and tiny Panarea, as well as magnificent Mt. Etna. After a hike on the crater rim of Mt. Vesuvius and a visit to ancient Pompeii, we ferry to the Aeolian Islands, believed by the ancient Greeks to be the home of Aeolus, the king of the winds. Our hikes bring us to the summits of Stromboli and Vulcano, while coastal walks on Panarea and Lipari reward us with Roman ruins and views of the blue Mediterranean. The surreal moonscapes of Mt. Etna (10,500'), dominating the Sicilian skyline, are the memorable backdrop for our final hikes. We end our journey in lovely Taormina, with its breathtaking panoramas of sea and sky.

Itinerary of Aeneas

An undersea volcano in the region south of Naples has not erupted since the beginning of recorded history. Scientists say it's bursting with magma and has "fragile walls."