Under the Volcano

 

 Etna from our rental

We joined 6 others and our guide/driver Salvatore for a full day tour around the eternal Mount Etna. Our first stop was at 1000 metres, the lowest point where lava flowed in the big 1992 eruption.Etna's height grows with each eruption and is now somewhere around 3400 metres at the summit. On Etna it takes 200 years for the first life, moss, to begin and a full 600 years for the first plant, a member of the chamomile family, to take hold. Amazing, eh?

 
 
                                                                    At the lava face

 Our next stop was at about 1700 metres at one of the larger craters on the north face of Etna. Soil, gravel, everything is still black after many years. We were able to climb up to the rim of one of these craters. They are not active now; once the lava finishes its flow the crater is "closed" and there will be no further activity there. Of course, Etna has erupted more that 350 times in modern times so there are lots of craters.


 The weather was kind and we saw (and heard) lots of Etna.


 Later we toured the Grotta di Serracozzo, a lava tube cave.


 And as we found ourselves in Italy, we headed for lunch!



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