There are many ways to visit Etna, Europe’s largest, most active volcano that is the star of the show in northeast Sicily. It’s advised to go in the early morning because the sky is clearer of smoke and haze from Mamma Etna’s (aka, Mongibello) ongoing venting from the top’s 5 or 6 craters. During our…
Tag: mongibello
Bewitching and Beautiful: Mongibello
The surface of Etna, Europe’s largest, most active volcano, is an ever changing scene. This month I visited this spot twice, and each time it felt and looked different to me … The color of the earth, weather, light, temperature… Mother nature is bewitching and beautiful. I’m going again in September. Join me for Enchanting…
Spewing For A Millennia
Etna has been spewing lava and ash for millennia. Last week, I was so excited to see it do so in person. Thankfully, the ongoing eruption is somewhat staid and very different than the historic events following March 8, 1669, when the citizens of Catania thought they could challenge Etna. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Over…
Our May 2016 Sicily Tour, Day 6: Etna Rosso or Etna Bianco?
Put on your comfortable walking shoes and bundle up, because on Day 6 of our May 2016 Experience Sicily with Chef Melissa Muller tour, we’re going up the volcano! Not only will we have a nature-powered adventure with local experts who grew up on Etna, but we’ll also enjoy a lunch of typical cuisine from…
Lava Casa
In towns and cities in the shadow of Etna, Sicily’s volcano, black stones cut from hardened lava are used for construction, as illustrated by this cottage on Etna’s slope.
Smoke that Took My Breath Away
During our recent Experience Sicily tour, it rained for four days (an abnormal weather pattern for September). Then, we woke up to this! Etna smoking into a clear blue sky. It still takes my breath away, just thinking about the moment I pushed open my shudders. Wow, I felt like a kid on her birthday!…
White & Black
The area around the crater of Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, sports a black lava surface. So, when it snows like it did last week, as shown here, the contrast between the white powder and the hardened, black lava is stunning.
A Crater, the Wind, and I
This week we’ve traversed Sicily, and we’ll do it again tomorrow! These last few days, we’ve gone from beautiful rock stacks at Lo Scopello to today’s below-freezing winds and falling snow at the top of the volcano Etna! At one point on the trek, the wind was so strong, I thought I was going to…
Ski Sicily
Have you ever thought of skiing on a volcano? Well, in Sicily you can. Mount Etna boasts two ski resorts: Nicolosi and Piano Provenzana. The best skiing is from December to February–so don’t delay, the season is almost over! (Photo Credit: Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta)
Etna: She Needs to Vent
Mount Etna’s craters (there are sometimes as many as 20 vents) are always changing because the volcano is always erupting. Mongibello, as it is called by the locals, is 11,000 feet high. When visiting, the air may be chilling because of its elevation; however, you’ll feel heat when you put your hand on the black…