Today Mt. Vesuvius is one of the most visited volcanoes in the world. Every year more than 500,000 people come to see the famous volcano that is home to over two million people in the immediate vicinity.
Today there are industrial towns and agricultural towns surrounding the volcano. The agricultural centers are booming and very productive, as the volcanic ash over the years has made the soil in the surrounding area extremely fertile.
The lower slopes are covered with vineyards and orchards, up the mountain the slopes, which are covered with forests of oak and chestnut trees, and at the highest parts of the mountain the trees give way to shrubs and eventually a bare cone.