In 1770 Hackert was given a commission by Sir William Hamilton, the English envoy in Naples, and thus went for the first time to the Southern Italian city near Vesuvius. In the view of the harbour of Santa Lucia at the Castel dell’Ovo Hackert combines stately sailing vessels with small fishing boats, the commanding volcano, and the activities of the harbour in the warm light into a scene as peaceful as it is lively. Vesuvius was active at the time, which by no means prevented travellers from climbing it.