Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

YPS tour to the Bay of Naples, October 21 – 29th 2103

Report

In the centenary year of the death of Dr Tempest Anderson, a YPS  ‘grand tour’ was made to the Bay of Naples. Campania was one of TA’s  favourite holiday destinations, both to study the volcanic geology of Vesuvius and  the Campi Flegrei,   and of course to visit Pompeii and other archaeological sites and museums in the area.  He also made the journey simply to relax with his travelling companions in pleasant surroundings and take in (and photograph) the beautiful and often dramatic local countryside, coast  and islands. It made a pleasant change from climbing in the Alps, or undertaking one of his longer, more arduous trips to record volcanic activity in more far-flung places.  The 30 or so members who made up the group were not disappointed in what we did and saw, all conducted in a continuing spirit of philosophical enquiry and comradeship, and in glorious weather.

Dr Tempest Anderson in 1912

Our hotel base was in the lovely old seaside town of Sorrento from where our daily excursions were made by coach or boat.  We visited the main archaeological attractions in the area, such as Pompeii, Herculaneum and the famous archaeological museum in Naples; and lesser known sites in the area around Pozzuoli, such as Cumae  and  the mysterious  Cave of the Sibyl,  the Grotta del Cane, and Solfatara, of great geological interest.  A day trip to the Greek temples at Paestum was a highlight, as was (of course) a drive up the flanks of Vesuvius to the Observatory. Most of us succeeded on reaching the summit to peer into the crater, now thankfully dormant. Many of us also spent a day in Naples at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, an active marine research institute, where we were treated to seminars on current work and a tour of their collections, aquarium and research facilities.  There to our delight we found an archive of material relating to Tempest Anderson, and it is to be hoped that contacts between the YPS and the SZN will be maintained.
Dr Bone Jones & Mr Jim Spriggs

Download the full report here: TA Naples Report2 (pdf)

YPS Grand Tourists at the Mount Vesuvius Observatory (photo taken on early quarter plate folding camera)

In the centenary year of the death of Dr Tempest Anderson, it is proposed to run a ‘grand tour’ to the Bay of Naples, much in the spirit  we hope our former president would have approved of.  This area was one of TA’s  favourite holiday destinations, both to study the volcanic geology of Vesuvius and  the Campi Flegrei,   and of course to visit Pompeii and other archaeological sites and museums in the area.  He also made the journey simply to relax with his friends in pleasant surroundings and take in (and photograph) the beautiful local countryside and islands –  not forgetting the good food and wine.  It will be our aim to experience some of these same things, in a continuing spirit of philosophical enquiry and enjoyment. In preparation for the journey, we shall try to arrange a study day at the Yorkshire Museum to see some of the glass slide photographs that TA took of Vesuvius and Bay area, and also discuss with the YM geologist what samples, photographs  and data we might collect during the tour to augment the YM collections.