Mount Vesuvius

From way up high, I can see everything. I see the big, sparkly blue water of the Bay of Naples in a sunny place called Italy. I am a very big, sleepy mountain, and I have a funny hole right in my top where clouds like to rest. Sometimes I wear a hat of white snow. I have been here for a very, very long time, watching the world. I am Mount Vesuvius.

I was born a long, long time ago when the earth wiggled and rumbled and pushed me up, up, up to the sky. For many years, I was quiet and peaceful. My sides were covered in yummy gardens and green trees. People lived in little towns close to my feet. But one day, a long time ago on August 24th in the year 79, I had to give a giant sneeze. Achoo. A big, poofy cloud of gray ash went high into the sky. It floated down like soft dust and covered the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in a sleepy blanket, and everything went quiet for a long, long time.

After many years passed, people came and gently uncovered the little towns. They learned all about the children and families who lived there so long ago. Today, I am peaceful again. My slopes are covered in green grass and pretty flowers. On June 5th in the year 1995, I became a special park where people can come and visit. Families walk on my paths and look out at the beautiful blue water. I am here to remind everyone that our wonderful world is always changing, and it is always beautiful.