Viaggio al Vesuvio

This mid-19th-century tale captures the impressions of the arduous yet thrilling nighttime hike to the summit of Vesuvius, to better appreciate the fiery lava and enjoy the marvelous spectacle of the sunrise. The Duke of Rivas moves with curiosity, combining careful and amazed exploration with historical memories of ancient eruptions, until he reaches what he calls "the most beautiful scene in the world": dawn when, in a whirlwind of conflicting passions, the sun rises on good and evil, on beauty and wickedness, in one of the most enchanting and terrible places on earth.