Achernar is a key target to investigate high stellar rotation and the Be phenonemon. It is also the hottest star for which detailed photospheric information is available. Here we report our results to determine the photospheric parameters of Achernar and evaluate how the emission of a Viscous Decretion Disk (VDD) around it would be observable. The analysis is based on interferometric data (PIONIER and AMBER at ESO-VLTI), complemented by spectroscopy and polarimetry for the circumstellar emission. For the first time fundamental parameters of a Be photosphere were determined. The presence of a residual disk at the quiescent phase and some characteristics of the new formed disk (2013 activity) are also discussed. This is rare opportunity to precisely determine the stellar brightness distribution and evaluate the evolution of a just formed Be disk.
