Mount Vesuvius, Italy (@ Modestino Carbone/Getty Images)
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- On this day in A.D. 79, this placid-looking peak erupted.""It\s still considered an active volcano
- Two ancient cities were destroyed when this volcano blew its top nearly 2,000 years ago.""But invaluable items have been recovered from the ruins
- A noted writer and historian witnessed early signs of the famous eruption here.""His letters recounting the event are the best record we have of this notorious disaster
- The dark peak looms over a city popular with tourists seeking the birthplace of pizza.""Where do ovens blaze in the shadow of a volcano?
