What is the elevation of Mount Vesuvius in meters?

Mount Vesuvius has an elevation of 1,281 meters above sea level.

That figure refers to the summit of the Gran Cono, the volcano’s modern main cone. Vesuvius is a somma-stratovolcano: its newer cone rises inside the remains of an older volcanic structure called Mount Somma. The northern rim of that older caldera is a separate high point, so measurements can vary if someone confuses the two features.

Vesuvius stands in Campania on the Gulf of Naples, about 9 kilometers east of Naples. It is famous for its catastrophic AD 79 eruption, which buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ash, pumice, and volcanic debris. Pliny the Younger described the disaster in letters that remain the principal eyewitness account.

The volcano last erupted in 1944. Its relatively modest present height should not be mistaken for low importance: Vesuvius remains one of Europe’s most closely watched volcanoes because millions of people live in the surrounding metropolitan area.