A BBC film crew tapes the morning flag-raising ceremony Wednesday at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, as the sun rises over Mt. Vesuvius. (Jason Chudy / S&S)
NAPLES, Italy — Naples is famous for its good food, bad traffic and beautiful location.
But it’s also famous for its nearby neighbor, the volcano Mount Vesuvius.
A British Broadcasting Corp. film crew was at Naval Support Activity Naples on Wednesday, filming a segment for an upcoming BBC/Discovery Channel documentary on the volcano, which is about 5 miles from the base.
The crew filmed two segments during the day.
It opened with the morning flag-raising ceremony, which, from the crew’s rooftop location, gives viewers a good look at how close Vesuvius is to the base.
It also taped base commander Capt. Dave Frederick, who gave an overview on what options the base could enact if the volcano erupts again.
Base officials have emergency plans in case an eruption or another natural disaster hits the area, and all base personnel and family members are briefed on the possibility of a Vesuvius eruption on their arrival.
Vesuvius last erupted in 1944, and, according to the Discovery Channel Web site, is one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, with more than 500,000 people living within a 4-mile danger zone between the volcano and the Bay of Naples.
“It’s shown in its past history that it can be particularly dangerous,” said vulcanologist Victoria Bruce, who accompanied the crew during its 10 days in the Naples area.
The base, she said, “definitely could be in the path of a major eruption of Vesuvius. In that case, I hope they have a good plan of action.”
The documentary is expected to run on the Discovery Channel in February, following a documentary-drama on the last days of Pompeii, the nearby city destroyed by Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
“Our show … gives the ‘lowdown’ on what’s happening now: what the volcano is doing, what the authorities are doing and what the Americans are doing,” Bruce said.
Bruce holds a master’s degree in vulcanology from the University of California at Riverside and has previously worked on other volcanoes near large cities, including Mount Rainier near Seattle.
