VESUVIO
"Vesuvio" is the registered designation of origin that includes all the Vesuvian towns. It can be produced in the white, red, rosé and sparkling versions. If the alcohol content is at least 12% it can take the name of "Lacryma Christi" which is reserved only for the best productions. Grotta del Sole produces a white Lacryma Christi, a red Lacryma Christi and a sweet sparkling Lacryma Christi Spumante.
Vesuvius is probably the world's best-known volcano. This famous "two-headed" mountain - the main landmark in the bay of Naples, is one of the very few in the world with a resurgent-type caldera: it is made up of two cones placed one on top of the other but not concentric, since the more recent one, the actual Mount Vesuvius (1279 m), was formed inside the larger crater of an older volcano (Mount Somma, 1132 m). If the Vesuvius is one of the most studied volcanoes and - as it is often said - "the most famous" in the world this is mainly due to its long history of spectacular events. In ancient times, before the great eruption of 79 AD which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, it was known for its excellent wines. Its slopes were covered with vineyards, while its higher, highly wooded, parts were home to a host of animal species.
Vine growing on Vesuvius has very ancient origins. Aristotle wrote that the Thessalians, an ancient people of Magna Graecia, planted the first vines in the Vesuvian area when they settled in Campania in the 5th century b.C. Several Latin poets including Sallust, Pliny and Martial have left a few records about that. The Romans were not aware that Vesuvius was an active volcano, but they did know the fertility of its slopes, which were almost entirely covered with vineyards. The area was thus full of country villas, where vines were grown and wine was made. Some of these villas have been recovered which still show the architectural structure shaped following the needs of wine production - which is proof of the importance of viniculture in the surroundings of Pompeii.
The legend has it that, when falling from Heaven, Lucifer took a piece of it with him on Earth, giving birth to the bay of Naples. Jesus Christ cried over this loss, and his tears fell over and around Vesuvius: this is where the grapevines of Lacryma Christi (Christ's tear) first grew. This is not the only legend, however. It is traditionally told that, on one of his visits to Earth to thank a redeemed hermit, Christ turned an undrinkable drink into a most excellent wine.