Italy's Mount Vesuvius closed to tourists as wildfire rages
The national fire service said it had 12 teams on the ground and six Canadair planes fighting the blaze, which has torn through the national park in southern Italy since Friday.
Reinforcement firefighters were on their way from other regions and the onsite teams were using drones to better monitor the spread of the fire, the service said on Telegram.
'For safety reasons and… to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice,' the park said in a statement Saturday.
Nearly 620,000 people visited the volcano's crater in 2024, according to the park.
The smoke from the fire could be seen from the Pompeii archeological site, which however remained open to tourists.
Experts say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to wildfires due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming.
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Vancouver Sun
9 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Walk the scenes of ‘The Gilded Age' in Newport's preserved mansions
Visiting Newport, Rhode Island, can feel like stepping onto a film set because many scenes from HBO's hit show 'The Gilded Age' were filmed in the town's gigantic 19th-century mansions. Even beyond the shiny veneer of a TV, Newport is remarkably well preserved, a living monument to an era of extreme opulence and ambition. The town swung into social significance in the late 19th century, when America's wealthiest industrial families built extravagant summer homes – which they dubbed 'cottages' – by the sea. Families including the Vanderbilts and Astors transformed the town's landscape, commissioning architects such as Richard Morris Hunt and Stanford White to design sweeping, European-inspired estates replete with marble and crystal. Though the Gilded Age was relatively brief, its legacy endures through architecture in the town of Newport. Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Travel Time will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Guided experiences, such as those from Newport Jaguar Tours (US$406 for two on a three-hour tour) and the Preservation Society of Newport County's 'Inside the Gilded Age Tour,' ($250 per nonmember for a nearly four-hour tour; $200 for members) allow fans to explore the show's filming locations, but visitors can also stroll the Cliff Walk and tour the mansions on their own. Here's where to go, what to see and where to stay when you want to go a little deeper into the intriguing and decidedly gilded world of the Russells and the Van Rhijns. These enormous, extravagantly built and decorated homes are as large as they are impractical – and they're basically required viewing. 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The Breakers commands a higher ticket price at $32 per person, or for a $57 ticket that also allows access to two other mansions. Fans of the HBO show may recognize the mansion's space that stood in for George Russell's billiard room in New York. The Elms: Completed in 1901 for Edward Julius Berwind, a coal magnate, the Elms offers one of the most compelling tours in Newport, the belowstairs Servant Life Tour. The guided tour (roughly 75 minutes, $25) is a deep dive into the round-the-clock labor that kept these mansions and their occupants' busy social calendars functioning. The Elms's sprawling kitchens were used as the set of the Russells' kitchen in the HBO show. Rosecliff: Built in 1902 for Theresa Fair Oelrichs – a silver heiress and Gilded Age society hostess who threw legendary parties including with magician Harry Houdini as the guest of honour – the brick and white terra-cotta-tile-clad mansion was designed by White, one of the era's well-known architects. 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'Howard Gardiner Cushing: A Harmony of Line and Color,' on display through the end of the year, features many of the artist's works that have not been exhibited in over 50 years or have been in private collections. Cushing's legacy in Newport remains strong, and last year the artist's great-grandson Howard Cushing opened a new waterfront hotel in town, Gardiner House. Constructed on what was a parking lot, Cushing's 21-room boutique hotel draws its inspiration from the Ledges, which remains in the family as a private home. Newport's stunning Cliff Walk is a 3½ mile public path that winds its way between the Atlantic Ocean and the town's Gilded Age mansions. Fans of 'The Gilded Age' will recognize the walk as the location of one of Peggy and Dr. Kirkland's tête-à-tête. A stone staircase leading from the cliffs down to the ocean, known as the 40 Steps, was a popular Gilded Age gathering spot for servants working in the oceanfront mansions. 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Calgary Herald
15 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Italy's Mount Vesuvius closed to tourists as wildfire rages
Article content Rome (AFP) — Italian firefighters on Sunday tackled a wildfire on the flanks of Mount Vesuvius, with all hiking routes up the volcano near Naples closed to tourists. Article content The national fire service said it had 12 teams on the ground and six Canadair planes fighting the blaze, which has torn through the national park in southern Italy since Friday. Article content Article content Reinforcement firefighters were on their way from other regions and the onsite teams were using drones to better monitor the spread of the fire, the service said on Telegram. Article content 'For safety reasons and… to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice,' the park said in a statement Saturday. Article content Nearly 620,000 people visited the volcano's crater in 2024, according to the park. Article content The smoke from the fire could be seen from the Pompeii archeological site, which however remained open to tourists. Article content
Vancouver Sun
15 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Italy's Mount Vesuvius closed to tourists as wildfire rages
Rome (AFP) — Italian firefighters on Sunday tackled a wildfire on the flanks of Mount Vesuvius, with all hiking routes up the volcano near Naples closed to tourists. The national fire service said it had 12 teams on the ground and six Canadair planes fighting the blaze, which has torn through the national park in southern Italy since Friday. Reinforcement firefighters were on their way from other regions and the onsite teams were using drones to better monitor the spread of the fire, the service said on Telegram. 'For safety reasons and… to facilitate firefighting and cleanup operations in the affected areas, all activities along the Vesuvius National Park trail network are suspended until further notice,' the park said in a statement Saturday. Nearly 620,000 people visited the volcano's crater in 2024, according to the park. The smoke from the fire could be seen from the Pompeii archeological site, which however remained open to tourists. Experts say European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to wildfires due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming.
