Italy contains three active volcanoes, the only ones in mainland Europe. Mount Etna, in Sicily, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and is in an almost constant state of activity. Located within the metropolitan region of Catania, its fertile volcanic soils support agriculture, particularly vineyards and orchards. Etna has seen a number of major eruptions in the past 100 years, mostly recently in December 2018. Mount Stromboli takes up almost all of the small Mediterranean island of Stromboli. Known as the ‘Lighthouse of the Mediterranean’, it is in almost continuous eruption visible from the surrounding sea. The only active volcano on mainland Europe is Mount Vesuvius, about 9 km east of Naples. The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 famously destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae and killed more than 1,000 people. Vesuvius has erupted many times since then, most recently in 1944. Because of its close proximity to Naples – with around 600,000 people potentially affected in case of an eruption – Vesuvius is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world and one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes.