BRITS heading to Italy have been issued with new travel advice after the country was hit by its “strongest earthquake in 40 years” right next to a volcano The Foreign Office has updated its advice for anyone travelling to southern Italy after an area near Naples has been experiencing a rise in seismic activity this week. Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields) is a volcanic caldera, a large cauldron-like hollow which is formed after a volcanic eruption, close to Naples, Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii . In the past few days the landscape has been rocked by a series of earthquakes.
Hundreds of residents and the inmates of a women’s prison in the seaside town of Pozzuoli were evacuated on Tuesday. School have been closed as well. The Italian government has earmarked £425million (€500m) for evacuations and safety measures, such as reinforcing buildings.
Campi Flegrei is an active volcanic crater, the largest of its kind in Europe. The supervolcano last erupted in 1538. Lately though, a build-up of magma or gases below the surface is causing a rise in seismic activity.
The surrounding area experiences what is known as bradyseism – this is where the ground rises and falls due to under-surface pressure. While scientists say another eruption is unlikely any time soon, many of the some 500,000 people who live in the red zone directly adjacent to the Campi Flegrei say they live in constant anxiety. The Campi Flegrei sits just over 12 miles away from Naples and residents in the souther.
