I Looked into the Mouth of Hell in Pozzuoli

Mario has been a neighbor of La Solfatara his entire life and isn’t troubled by the volcano’s recent rumblings. (Photo: ©Craig K. Collins)

La Sulfatara contains boiling mud pots and fumaroles — vents that emit noxious sulfuric gasses. The earth in the crater is scorched white with streaks of yellow sulfur. (Photo: ©Craig K. Collins)

La Sulfatara crater sits in the midst of Pozzuoli, surrounded by dense neighborhoods, schools, soccer fields and car dealerships. One Italian geologist believes that up to half a million residents should be evacuated immediately due to the potential for the volcano to “go off like a bomb.” (Photo: ©Craig K. Collins)