On our way to our next destination, we stopped by San Venanzo, in central Italy, where we had the chance to see exposures of venanzites (leucite olivine melilitites!), some of the most exotic alkaline volcanic rocks in the world. We have now produced thin sections of some of the samples we brought back, and anyone is welcome to come see a venanzite under the microscope!

We spent our final three days visiting the Neapolitan volcanic province, which included day trips to the Vesuvius and Pompeii. There is probably no place that better portrays the concept of volcanic hazard, given the location of Naples just a few miles from the volcano, as well as the impressive records in Pompeii. At Vesuvius we could get a glimpse of the architecture of an active volcano, as well as see some examples of historic lava flows, while at Pompeii we had a chance to see the dramatic consequences of an explosive ash-flow eruption; in fact, the concept of Plinian eruptions was born right there!

On the final geologic stop on the trip, we examined an outcrop of the Campanian Ignimbrite close to Meta di Sorento, which can only have been deposited in that location after traveling for several miles over seawater. We celebrated the end of the trip in good Italian style, with a bath in the Tyrrhenian Sea at Amalfi, along what must be one of the most gorgeous (and tortuous!) drives in the Mediterranean.

Our stay in Italy was marked by the famous Italian hospitality and unforgettable gastronomic delights. The dinners at Enzo’s are still fondly remembered by us, as well as the prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella (from Italian buffalo, not Buffalo, NY!) lunches. The lack of peanut butter was certainly a blessing, at least to the stomachs of the non-Americans on the trip!! Despite a record number of minor ailments (including asthma, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, gout, pamukçuitis…), by taking his “daughters” and “sons” to the family doctor, Sandro clearly demonstrated the Italian concept of family! We obviously owe a lot of the success of this trip to Sandro and his family (particularly his daughter Fiorenza, his son-in-law Marco, and wife Paula), who provided us with outstanding accommodation and food, and, not to be forgotten, the opportunity to see beautiful geology. Grazie Sandro!! We would not have made it to many of the field stops in the Naples area without the dedication of our kind bus driver Stefano, from Fabriano (yet another town in the Marche region).

Last, but certainly not least, we are indebted to David Rowley, who led three field courses in a row (out of the last four!), and, as Chair of the Department, has given continued support for the field trips over many years. Thanks Dave!

Photos courtesy of: Ayla Pamukçu, David Rowley, Erin Atkinson, Guilherme Gualda, and Julia Rasmussen.