Amazing Day on Mount Etna

Sunday March 20 was one of the clearest, sunniest days of our trip.  High of 17C.  It was the perfect day for our visit to Mount Etna.  We met our guide, Marika, from EtnaPeople, at Porta Catania, just a few minutes from our apartment.  It turned out there would be eight people on our tour, which is the maximum number that EtnaPeople will take at one time.  It was an interesting mix and made for a great day.  There was a couple (both Opera singers!) from Sussex (around our age); a younger man (early 30s) who ran a bar in a very small town in Belgium; a late 20s man who is a music producer from just outside London, who was staying in Taormina for a few months to produce music; and two retired men from Bromont Quebec.

It was so clear at 9:00 a.m. that we could see Etna from our meeting place in Taormina.

View of Mount Etna from Porta Catania in Taormina

We started our drive to Mount Etna.  Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and is located at approximately 3340 m above sea level.  Eruptions occur frequently from the four active craters at the summit, but also from the fissures and old craters on the mountain's flanks. Our guide showed us a series of photos and postcards of eruptions at Etna.  She described the volcano as "Signora Etna", whose moods can change in a minute.  It is very hard to predict eruptions, though in some cases there is an increase in tremors.  She told us that the lava from Etna moves very slowly and that people usually do not get killed in eruptions; only property is destroyed.

We drove to a spot where we would be climbing an inactive crater.  We passed by an area of lava that in 2002 had destroyed a number of small towns.  The lava moves very slowly and no on was killed, but buildings were engulfed by lava and these towns are no more.  In 2007, a 400m-high cloud of ash from an Etna eruption caused the temporary closure of Catania airport.

Since 1987, the volcano and its slopes have been part of a national park, the Parco dell'Etna.  It encompasses 590 sq m and around 21 towns.  Our guide lives part of the year in one of the towns on Etna.

Lava near road

 We all got hiking boots, ski jackets and poles.  Our guide said this was the sunniest and warmest day in weeks.  It got quite warm, however the snow was a bit icy to walk on.  We really didn't need the ski jackets.

Getting ready to hike

Monti Sartorius- the part of Etna we were visiting

Ash which can travel very far after eruptions

 We walked through a lovely group of white birch trees.  Marika said that the birch trees are whiter than most birch trees due to the combination of sun and lava soil.  We were going to climb to the top of one of the craters.

White birch trees

Marika our guide

On the way 

Marika showed us a "lava bomb", a very heavy piece of lava, which results from Etna's eruptions.  These are a concern if one lives close by, but because these "bombs" are so heavy, they don't travel far.  It is the ash and smaller pieces of lava that can travel great distances.

Alonso and the lava bomb

Trekers heading down the crater

We made it to the top of the crater we were climbing.  It was very hot and I didn't need my jacket.

At the top of one crater

Our group looking at a 30m hole in the lava

The next stop was a lava cave.  We were each given a hard hat and a flashlight.  The cave is about
40 m long.

Alonso in full caving gear

Entrance to cave

Needless to say, with my back and ankles still bothering me, after taking a few steps down into the cave, I decided to skip this adventure.  Alonso took the camera into the cave.

Exiting the cave 

Light at the end of the lava cave

Exiting the cave- lots of bending down and snow

Our next stop was a late lunch at a winery on the "Street of Wine".  The soil and good weather has lead to the establishment of many wineries near Mount Etna.

Building at Don Saro

Don Saro served us our wine at lunch

Some terraced vineyards near the building

Our lunch table where the wine is stored

Antipasta plate- lots of good flavours

 We had pasta alla Norma, the specialty of Catania.  It is pasta with eggplant and a tomato sauce.  It was named after Bellini's opera Norma.  Bellini was born in Catania.

We were hungry so we dug in before I could take a picture.  The wines were not the best of the Etna wines that we have tasted, but it was fun to see what a "cantine" (winery) looked like.

The Vineyards

We took a farewell picture of Etna.  It was so clear that one can see the smoke coming from the four active craters at the top of the mountain.  Perfect weather!

Arrivederci Signora Etna

We then stopped to get a picture of a typical Sicilian village, nestled in the hills.  After the photo op, we drove through the town.  Castiglione di Sicilia dates back to around 1100 and much of the town has a medieval feel, though there are newer buildings.

Our last stop was a wonderful waterfall and river that form part of the River Park of Alcantara.  The tour usually goes to the Alcantara Canyons, but they were closed.

Map of Park

The Alcantara River

The walls are lava that flowed into the Alcantara river thousands of years ago.  This was a different type of lava that has flowed more recently from Mount Etna.

The falls- the rock is lava from thousands of years ago

Lovely spot to sit 

 Just as we were leaving a group of sheep came down to the river.

Please don't jump!

As we were driving back we saw this amazing cloud that looked like a UFO.  Marika explained that it formed due to pressure conditions between the sea and Etna.  It was very cool.

UFO looking cloud

We got back to Taormina at around 6:30 p.m. just in time for the daily passeggiata (evening stroll) down Corso Umberto I.  Due to holidays, the number of people in town has increased exponentially since we arrived.  The street actually felt almost too crowded tonight and this is still the off-season.  Our guide told us that the season really doesn't start until April.  It is only because Easter is so early this year that a number of stores have reopened in mid-March.

This store with the amazing popsicles just got busy today

Cross Umberto I full of people on Sunday early evening.  Caffe Mocambo on the left

We headed back to the apartment.  We were not too hungry after our big lunch, so just had a salad with some prosciutto, olives, tuna and cheese.  I think we will sleep very well tonight.