Pompeii

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and consequential vanishing of the nearby town of Pompeii is something that has always fascinated me, since seeing a documentary for it somewhere around the age of twelve.  It's a little unsettling to think how suddenly an act of nature can just change your entire world, in this case ending it completely.  Did they realize what was happening to them as they were buried alive by debris from the volcano?  Maybe they did, or maybe there was no time- many of them were probably killed rather instantly.  The ones trapped in their homes that died of inhalation and suffocation are the ones that bother me- much like natural disasters still befalling the Earth today.  To just be unable to escape a private hell and know that these are your last moments is very much a fear of mine. 

The technology we possess today can comfort people that an eruption of this type would not escape the watching eyes of volcanologists. At least, I hope that is true. 

Pompeii is definitely a place I wish to see before I myself am covered in molten ash.  The discovery in the late 1600's gave archaelogists revealing information about how everyday life was conducted in ancient Roman times.  As tragic as the destruction of the inhabitants of Pompeii truly was, seeing time stand still in the preserved ruins is truly a gift from Vesuvius. 

http://home.comcast.net/~apollophotos/photos/italy/pompeii/index.html
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/europe/pompeii.html
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/pompeii/
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/pompeii/
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/pompeii/p/MtVesuvius.htm
http://www.mapsofworld.com/italy/culture-of-italy/