If you yawn because you think you’ve seen every kind tourist haunt, here’s a place that’s really smoking!
There is nothing remotely Elysian about the Phlegræan Fields; nothing sylvan, nothing green. The Fields, which lie on the north shore of the Bay of Naples in Italy, are part of the caldera of a volcano that is the twin of Mount Vesuvius, the destroyer of Pompeii, a few miles to the east.
The volcano is still active, but, today, its most obvious feature is this barren, rubble-strewn plateau. Fire bursts from the rocks in places, and clouds of sulphurous gas snake out of vents that lead up from deep underground.
Sound good? You can visit it. See if you can penetrate its deep meaning.
Read more courtesy of Mike Dash.
