Many places around the world hold kite-flying events, and here in Italy our trusty satellite has captured Cervia’s annual International Kite Festival in full swing. There’s all sorts of wonderful inflatable kites visible from up here, and the distinct shapes of their shadows should make it possible to identify which exact kites these are by comparing them to ground-level upward-looking photos.

Thanks to Adi Shavit

Probably the most famous volcano of all, this is the mighty Mount Vesuvius. Here you can see the crater, which was captured on this day shrouded in clouds.

Way back in 79 AD, Vesuvius underwent a catastrophic eruption which buried the Roman city of Pompeii and its inhabitants under many feet of ash. The city was lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery, and is a now a major tourist destination – having already provided historians with valuable insight into the day-to-day lives of the Romans.

In Pompeii you can see the layout of the houses (which long ago lost their roofs), and the Basilica is also clearly visible, but here’s a good map which should help you identify loads more of Pompeii’s places (including the brothel!)

Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world – not least because 3 million people live in close proximity. The last time it erupted was in 1944, when it destroyed all 88 planes in a U.S. B-25 bomber squadron, and its current dormant period is its longest in 500 years.

Check the wikipedia pages for Pompeii and Mount_Vesuvius for the full history.

Thanks to Tim, Mr.Tea, Jeff Burton, tony, Adam Orford, Ben, Kyle, Garrett, Garrett, Stephen Bates, Tijd, Joez, John Lewis, Clint, Mark Ross, Boniface, Serge Lyubomudrov, n.darcq, Rob B and the other 92 people who submitted this since I missed it out last year!

At a naval base in La Spezia, Italy, we see the world famous tall ship “Amerigo Vespucci”. She was ordered in 1925 along with the Cristoforo Colombo, an identical ship that was decommissioned by the USSR after WWII, and is modelled on 18th century cannon ships.

However the Amerigo Vespucci has no cannons, which is a shame as I think cannons would have made the Cutty Sark Tall Ships’ Race – which she often competes in – a much more exciting affair.

The Naval Base is worth browsing as there’s various submarines and other ships in dry-dock kicking around. Wikipedia Link.

Thanks: Thomas Blüthgen

1600m up the mountain Colletto Fava in Piemonte, Italy we find a quite unusal sight – a giant 60m tall pink rabbit. But before you go “Aww, that’s cute” notice that his woolen guts are spilling out onto the mountainside.

Then giant wool bunny is the work of Gelitin, a group of artists from Vienna, who explain “It’s supposed to make you feel small, like Gulliver. You walk around it and you can’t help but smile.”. The rabbit is expected to stay there until 2025 and hikers are invited to climb atop the “belly-summit” for a view over the village of Artesina below.

Thanks: MrPumpernickel

Milan’s Central Station is covered with giant steel canopies, 341 metres long and covering an area of 66,500 square metres, which look amazing from above.

Milan’s tallest building, the shiny Pirelli Tower is just in front of the station. In 2002, a light aircraft crashed into the tower but it has since been restored and apparently looks better than new.

Thanks: Jonathan Rawle