52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #7. Etna Shows Her Power

Reaching 11,000 feet above sea level into the sky, its four active craters also give us spectacular lava shows (from a distance) that illustrate Mamma Etna’s potency. Etna’s expansive majesty is awe-inspiring for its beauty and its power. Don’t be afraid. She is a somewhat predictable volcano, and walking on her extinct craters and exploring…

Mount Etna’s First Flora

When you walk on Etna’s craters you can imagine how rich the mineral-filled lavic soil will one day become. It takes 100 to 700 years for lava soil to support new vegetation growth. One of the first natural plants to return (and pictured here) is Sicilian astragalus. Others include camomile flowers, Etna rennet, and tansy…

Crater to Me

Sicily hosts the largest, most active volcano in Europe, Etna, aka, Mount Etna. The Silvestri Craters, one of which is pictured, were formed on Etna’s south slope during the eruption of 1892. Accessable from Rifugio Sapienza in Nicolosi, they are 6233 feet above sea level. You can walk along the rims of the two craters…

The Silvestri Craters

The Sivestri Craters, a series of volcanic craters that exist on Etna’s south side, were formed during an 1892 eruption. 1900 meters above sea level, they are accessable by car when you navigate to Rifugio Sapienza in Nicolosi. The craters are named for Professor Orazio Silvestri, a geologist and volcanologist who dedicated much of his…

Our Morning on Etna

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…