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Volcano Solfatara

When you hear Solfatara, you should think sulphur.    This can be one stinky place to visit.  

It is famous for its steaming jets of sulphurous vapor at temperatures near 350 degrees F, the emission of carbonic anidride and small volcanoes of boiling mud.  

The Stufe, one known as Purgatory and the other known as Hell, were used as natural saunas and for the inhalation of sulphurous vapors which were considered beneficial for respiratory illnesses.  Rocks with sulphur and alum crystals can be found near here. 
Richard checks out one side while Lynda checks out the other.  The condensation gathers on the ceilings of these spas.  Be careful.  The water is very hot when it drips on your head.  Can you imagine sitting inside of one of these?
Nearby is the Bocca Grande, the Big Mouth.  No, we do not mean Lynda.  The Bocca Grande is the largest of the vapors.  Today it is the site of a volcanic research station for the Vesuvian Observatory and other scientific bodies.

There is also a large boiling mud pit in the center of the crater.  It's temperature is over 300 degrees F and the mud was considered a remedy for rheumatism.  A rare heat-resistant micro-organism lives here.

As you walk around the crater you will see some football size rocks.  You should pick one up and throw it to the ground.  The hollow thud you will hear indicates that you are walking on the crust of the crater floor.  It is held up by the air pressure underneath.

In the Middle ages a well in the crater was the source for mineral water which was said to have miraculous powers to cure many diseases.