Thursday, April 26, 2012

Hiking a volcano

Yup, you read that right.  Here in Italy we live on what's called the Phlegraean Fields. It's basically a big land mass sitting ontop of some volcanically active earth.    Yay.  As if earthquakes and robbers and weird Italian diseases weren't enough to make me worry now we're living on a volcano.  Seriously...ON.  Our house in on the slope of an inactive volcano.  Let's just say I've had some pretty vivid dreams of me trying to outrun lava flows.

Anyway...let's please change the subject.

We had heard that there are some pretty amazing hikes on our volcano (if I call it "our" it seems less threatening) so we decided to try one out.  It was quite the adventure...and that's because we are hiking idiots.  You think I'd know better having grown up in Utah...hiking for the better part of my life, but no.  We ended up taking the SUPER long, difficult route.  Which I guess burned off more calories...so whatever...but it was TOUGH.  And if we had gone the "correct" way we never would have come across this about 1/3 of the way up to the rim:


Inside the building was one large room with a pillar in the middle.  This picture shows you half of it...imagine another half this size.  It kinda made me want to get rollerskates and skate around it like I was back at Classic Skating in 8th grade.  Maybe some other time...


 Miles was quite happy as long as he had a stick in his hand.  I love that Miles and Nathan are making the EXACT same face in this photo!



Hiking Feet
 At the rim of the volcano there is a monastery...or church...it depends on who you ask.  But it is inhabited...there are signs posted asking you to be silent on the premises. 


This is the view looking back into the crater.  Yes, that's a golf course.  :)  There is also a pool, a paintball course, yurts, soccer fields and a few baseball diamonds. 

At the rim...in front of the monastery.  Don't worry we said cheese VERY quietly.  
Our friend Stephanie came on the hike with us. 

I took a few videos...if ya feel like watching them. They're short...and Miles is in them :)


And another:
 

Miles helping lead the way down:


1 comment:

V said...

Yes, when you say "our volcano" it makes it sound more like a beloved pet, a protector of the family, that would only produce very limited lava flows in the case of protecting you from a bad dude or creepy spiders.

Very cool to say you live on a volcano. ;)