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On The Rim LbNA #27200

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Nov 18, 2006
Location:
City:Naples, Italy
County:Other International
State:Other International
Boxes:1
Planted by:Flash Dreamer
Found by: Boots Tex
Last found:Nov 27, 2006
Status:FF
Last edited:Nov 18, 2006
The active volcano of Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanoes of the world since an explosion from its crater buried the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum with ash in 79 A.D. This quick burial left the ancient towns in perfect condition and today we can see the structures of the buildings, painted frescos on the walls and mosaics on the floors, and the artifacts of the people that lived on the slopes of Vesuvius so long ago. Though Vesuvius is the most recognized volcano in the area, Naples and the surrounding bay and islands were all formed by volcanoes thousands and thousands of years ago.

Campi Flegrei, also known as the Phlegrean Fields (Greek for "burning fields"), is a large Caldera area situated in the west area of Napoli, Italy. Today most of the crater lies underwater, but includes the town of Pozzuoli and the Solfatara crater, home of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. It is thought that the caldera was created in 2 major events, the first (Campanian Ignimbrite) occurred in the area about 40,000 years ago. At approximately 12,000 years ago another major eruption occurred forming a smaller caldera inside the main one (centered on the town of Pozzuoli), this event is known as the Neopolitan Yellow Tuff (referring to the characteristic yellow rocks there).
In 1538, an 8-day eruption in the area deposited enough material to create a new hill, Monte Nuovo ("new mountain"). Monte Nuovo is a cinder cone volcano in Campi Flegrei. It last erupted in 1538. Source

Today the inside of Monte Nuovo has another use. Admiral Robert B. Carney Park is a 96-acre recreation facility/playground built entirely inside the crater of this extinct volcano. As you come into the park, you find yourself totally shut out from the outside city and traffic and enclosed within the crater walls on all sides of you. The park itself is restricted for use by American military families stationed in the Naples area but access to the rim of the volcano is public. You’ll be hiking the rim of this ancient land form to find your letterbox.

Directions:

While driving on the SS7 Quarter coming from Lago Patria, take the exit called “Quarto Monterusciello nord”. Take the first left which has a blue sign labeled “Quarto”. Take the first right which has a blue sign labeled “Monterusciello nord”. This will take you over a bridge, and dead ends into a road, take this road to the right. Immediately go to the left lane and take the first left. From this turn you will notice brown signs labeled “Carney Park” that point in the directions you should be going. After this turn, take your first right. Go through the long tunnel (turn on your lights). About half a mile past the tunnel, take your first right, again following the signs to Carney Park. This road starts taking you up the side of the crater. You’ll come upon a section of the road which is one-way. Be cautious for cars coming from the other direction and follow the road to the left. After you pass the one-way section, park your car on the left on the side of the road.

To the Box:

You will notice a large brown sign that says Admiral Robert B. Carney Park sitting in the Y of the road where you just parked. Walk up the road to the right of this sign. You’ll come upon a paved one-way road with a white barrier across it. There is a sign on the barrier that says limited access (Vietato L’Accesso) but you may walk around it. We’ve asked the park managers and this is the public access to the trail around the rim and you are allowed to walk up this road. Follow this steep road up until you find a dirt path to your right. There is a chain across the entrance of the trail to keep cars from going on the path. This trail is the beginning of the hike around the entire rim of the volcano. There are several trails leading off of this main section so pay attention and take the second to the left trail which leads past a large tree (which is to the right of the trail). You will notice that the outside of the volcano rim is to your right while the inside is to your left. You will be walking along the outside of the rim looking out towards the towns surrounding the crater. Walk along this trail enjoying the view from the sides of the volcano walls until you come to the stone steps. 29 steps after the stone steps look to your right and you will be at the entrance to a small crevice in the trail with rocks on both sides. There are oak trees growing out of the rocks above you. On your right (at the entrance to this crevice) you will notice a tree with two trunks growing out of the rock slightly above you. The box is hidden under foilage at the base of the trunk closest to the outside of the volcano.

If you would like to continue the hike around the volcano, it should take about two hours to complete. The trail finishes where you parked your car. There are some beautiful views of the surrounding area and great plant life along the way. The trail can be very steep at times and narrowly closed in with foilage so be cautious.

Please email me at beckn32@yahoo.com the condition and status of the box.