Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Reynisfjara, a black sand beach in Iceland getty 2,000 years ago, five miles south of modern Naples, as the city of Herculaneum was being covered by lava from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, 300 men were sheltering on its beach, waiting to be rescued by the local protection force directed by admiral Pliny the Elder. Now this beach has been reopened to the public, CNN reports , after painstaking restoration and archaeological excavation—and their preserved skeletons are visible on the beach today in what was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1997. Alternatively you could head south from Naples to the island of Stromboli , one of four active volcanoes in Italy, where tourists visit the bubbling lava before sampling the local Italian food.
Oscar-winner, Justine Trier, shot her 2019 film Sybil here, if you want to witness its stark beauty before heading there in person. Herculaneum, the city that in 79 AD. was destroyed by the eruption of the Vesuvius volcano.
LightRocket via Getty Images Or you could head north and follow the Mediterranean 2,667 miles to the west, from Naples up the coast of Italy through Rome, through the old port of Genoa, through France and Spain and then into the Canary Islands. Here you'll find La Palma, an island now distinctively recognised for its black beaches after a volcanic eruption in 2021. MORE FOR YOU ‘Are You Ready?’—Elon Musk Fans Wild Rumors Donald Trump Will Create A U.