Tourists To Italy Can Face Natural Disasters
Italian Travel Has Had Risks Since Ancient Times
Jan 29, 2009
Tourists can run risks when travelling in areas susceptible to catastrophic events. Italy is one such country. For instance, John Search reported that on the volcanic island of Stromboli from 2001-2003, tourists faced eruptions, explosions and even a tsunami resulting in death, injury and evacuation.
A look at a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, and a flood bear witness to the dangers that can sometimes beset the traveler in Italy. They were:
- the Plinian eruption of Vesuvius in C.E. 79 which was recorded for posterity by Pliny the Younger
- the damaging 1703 earthquake in the L'Aquila area of Abruzzo
- the1966 flood of the Arno River in Florence
Mt. Vesuvius
This still-active volcano looms over Naples and is probably the best known historical natural disaster in Italy. Pliny compared its eruption to an umbrella pine, a tall species with a thick trunk that gives a shady canopy and is found in the Roman Forum. Mt. St. Helen's in 1980 was similar:
- spewing a tall column of smoke,
- distributing layers of ash great distances,
- throwing pumice, and grumbling gas explosions.
The towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum were destroyed and never rebuilt; although they were recovered in the 18th century and tourists flock there to see evidence of their destruction and Roman life.
Pliny's uncle was a naval commander and went ashore to help the populace escape. Pliny wrote that "They tied pillows on top of their heads as protection against the shower of rock." The uncle himself collapsed however from inhaling the poisonous gas and a having a fatal stroke.
Vesuvius last erupted in 1944 just after Allied troops landed at Naples. Never quiescent for long, it remains a repressed threat to the 3 million who live nearby and to the tourists, 2.5 million of whom visited in 2007 alone, according to Touring Club Italiano.
The Earthquake of 1703, L'Aquila, Abruzzo
Even the 4th century Saint Emidio, patron saint of protection from earthquakes, could not prevent L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo from being rent during the devastating earthquake of 1703. Situated in the Gran Sasso area of the Apeninnes, L'Aquila and neigbouring towns like Sulmona, had several buildings destroyed, and several churches damaged. Many of the plaques throughout the area attest to the 1703 earthquake. L'Aquila churches still bear the scars, such as,
- the 15th century San Bernardino Basilica, the largest in Abruzzo
- the 13th century Duomo, which collapsed and was not fully rebuilt until the 19th century.
The danger has not passed however.
Guiseppe Cello (Journal of Geodynamics, October, 1998) wrote that "an active crustal shear zone has been recognized in the central Apennines...." and rumblings occur regularly. The estimated Richter reading for 1703 was almost 7, a major one. This magnitude can cause destruction in an area over 160 km. according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Another shock measuring 5.8 occurred in 1984.
The River Arno Flood, 1966
With the heavy autumnal rains, the river rose 11 metres and broke through levees, wreaking havoc on the city of Florence. Approximately 40 lives were lost, buildings damaged as the waters swirled around the first floors, 14,000 works of art and millions of historical tomes at the National Library were damaged or destroyed. Volunteer workers, the "angeli del fango" or mud angels, tried to save pieces of art like Cimabue's "Crucifix", painted in 1265.
In his book, "Dark Waters" (Doubleday, 2008) Robert Clark wrote that 19 inches of rain fell in 24 hours causing 24 ft. of water to travel 40 m.p.h. Manhole covers in San Croce piazza shot up into the air. Over 12 ft. of mud was deposited.
Of course natural disasters are uncontrollable and do not deter tourism. Given climate change and the odds, future disasters will occur. But tourists to Italy should realize that the pleasures of that country come with risk.
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