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Mount Vesuvius

Cultural  
  1. Volcano, in southwestern Italy on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.


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One of its earliest recorded eruptions, in a.d. 79, buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae under cinders, ash, and mud.

It is the only active volcano on the mainland of Europe. (Another, Mount Etna, is on the island of Sicily.)

Example Sentences

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A mechanical artwork first imagined in 1775 to recreate the eruption of Italy's Mount Vesuvius has been brought to life for the first time, 250 years after it was conceived.

From Science Daily May 2, 2026

And when it comes to the legacy of Mount Vesuvius — able to change the sky and move the earth — history encompasses all that’s above and plenty that’s subterranean, too.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 13, 2026

He writes in a wry, amicable style, skillfully layering on his chosen leitmotifs—the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 17, 2025

Italy has brought under control a five-day blaze on Mount Vesuvius but remains under extreme heat warnings in 16 cities, with Florence touching 39C.

From BBC Aug. 13, 2025

In the 1730s and 40s, building work near Naples had accidentally discovered the buried ruins of the first-century Roman towns Herculaneum and Pompeii, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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