View of an eruption of Mount Vesuvius which began on December 23, 1760 and ended January 5, 1761 by Pietro Fabris. Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, best known for its eruption in 79 AD that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Since then Vesuvius has erupted around three dozen times. The last major eruption was in March 1944. Fabris (active 1740-1792) was a painter of Italian descent best known for his work with the geologist, William Hamilton (Observations on Mount Vesuvius, and Mount Etna, 1744 and Campi Phlegraei: Observations on the Volcanoes of the Two Sicilies, 1776) which included a number of engravings based on his paintings.