Mount Vesuvius is a somma-stratovolcano located in Campania, Italy, about 5.6 miles (9 km) east of Naples. It is best known for its eruption in AD 79, which killed thousands and destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. With an eruption as recent as 1944 and at least 3 million living nearby, Vesuvius is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.