Mt. Vesuvius

Yes, you can walk up to the rim of the crater (not in the last few days because of the recent bad weather in most of Italy!). Here is the bus timetable from Pompeii. http://www.unicocampania.it/files/locandina_vesuvio.pdf Some people find it difficult walking up to and down from the rim because the ground is loose and, unless you are sure on your feet, slippery.

In 2008, my husband and I took a trip up - there was a spot right at the train stn to sign up - but a group of 20 wouldn't fit in the van we went up in(tho they were pretty inventive to get in an extra seat - a folding chair! Glad I wasn't sitting in that). It is a hard slog to the top - loose rock and soil - I didn't walk all the way around to look in as I was busy trying to catch my breathe and rest my legs, but hubby did. If the older folks aren't that active, it could be hard for them (I'm was 35 and it was hard for me and I'm only a little out of shape - lol) but there were lots of older folks going up and down.

Linda, The number of people in your group isn't much of a problem, provided you have transportation to get everyone to Vesuvius. The ages of the participants could be a problem, depending on everyone's physical condition. From the ticket booth, it's a good half-hour walk up the hill, which in parts is a bit steep. The trail surface is sometimes a bit "rocky" and uneven, so good walking shoes are a good idea. I haven't heard anything about not being able to get to the rim any longer? Unless something has changed since I was last there, there area railings installed around the rim so visitors should have a good view. I found the walk down to be somewhat more strenuous than the walk up, and my knees were "in need of a rest" by the time I got to the bottom. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website. Happy travels!