Vulcano Buono - The Good Volcano

On the outskirt of Naples, Italy and  close to Mt. Vesuvius, lies the city of Nola. It boasts of a huge and unique, volcano shaped commercial complex known as 'Vulcano Buono' - The Good Volcano.

Designed by Renzo Piano, the commercial complex resembles Mt. Vesuvius, the infamous (or bad) volcano, which had destroyed Pompeii in AD 79 and is active even now. It is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the threat to a large population living nearby and its continued tendency of explosive eruptions. Here is its view from the air;

Image from Flickr is by Kiriku

In comparison here is a view of the so called artificial 'Good Volcano'.

Image from: 3-D view in Google Earth      3-D source created by AntoWthe3D

(Note: The '3D Buildings-Photorealistic' and 'Terrain' layers of Google Earth should be enabled to view this 3-D view. Needs some patience for full 3-D rendering.)

This green looking artificial cone of the volcano is 320 metres wide with height varying from 25 to 41 metres. The crater mouth has an opening of 160 metres. Its grassy slope is covered with more than 2500 plants which provides a natural insulation to the interior space. The entire complex occupies an area of 450,000 Sq. metres, floor area of 150,000 sq. metres and has a parking space for whopping 7000 cars.

The complex contains a hotel, a hypermarket, a multiplex cinema, a gallery of double-height 155 shops and several restaurants and bars. The open circular space in the centre is used for concerts and events.

Image from Flickr is by 一元搥搥 / oneone

Image from Flickr is by ginozar

Image from Flickr is by hillman54

Some very good images at inhabitat.com

View location in Google Earth  Google Maps and Street View

Source of info and more info: Wikipedia and thenetnola.it (In Italian) (English Translation)