What is it like to live “under the crater” of a large active volcano? So scary even just to say, because it lets you imagine frightening scenarios. Lava destroying houses, fire raining from the sky, or the terrible end of Pompeii under the ash of Vesuvius. But here on Etna things are not so apocalyptic! Mount Etna is one of the highest volcanoes in Europe and, among the active ones, it is the highest overall. Its craters are located at over 3300 meters above sea level and well separated from the urban centers by kilometers of rocks and lava desert. Thanks to the establishment of the Etna Regional Park, in the 1980s, today it is impossible to build beyond a certain area of  the volcano. So … who lives “at the foot” of the main crater? And how do they live there?

The towns closest to the summit

The three inhabited centers closest to the summit of Etna are three: the municipalities of Maletto, Milo and Randazzo . They are each located on a different side of the volcano and, even if from the maps it may seem that they are a stone’s throw from the craters,  they are quite far away (about over 10 km). Maletto is located on the western side, Randazzo to the north, Milo to the east. On the southern side of Etna, the closest municipality – if we can say so – is Nicolosi, although the distance that separates it from the summit is much greater than the other three.

Maletto

The town of Maletto (3500 inhabitants) was founded in 1263 as a military castle to defend a wild territory populated by bandits. The danger of bandits was so widespread that it fueled an interesting legend: it seems that in ancient times a rich and rebellious princess, Marietta, lived here. She used the bandits precisely to obtain power over the district through brutal robberies. Her refuge was called “U Mariettu” … which became Maretto and then Maletto.

Maletto is just over 14 km from the summit craters of Etna. Distance that is obviously covered partly by transport and on foot among rocks and gullies. It is estimated that it takes just under an hour to get from the village to the fiery summit of the volcano. The lava from a possible eruption, instead, would take weeks to reach it.

Maletto is the “Sicilian capital of strawberries”, which are the main product here. Monuments to admire: the Main Church, the Palace Spadafora, the ruins of Castello Maletta, the Town Museum.

Milo

Famous for having become the home of great artists (the singers Franco Battiato, Lucio Dalla above all), this town of 1000 inhabitants perched between the Valle del Bove and the panorama of the coast, on the eastern side of Etna, was founded in the 14th century by Duke Giovanni d’Aragona. The church of Saint Andrew was built first. Still today, it is the main temple of the town. Then the feudal village came. Milo has never grown much, despite having benefited for centuries from its annexation to the rich County of Mascali.

Despite being 50 km from the top of Etna, and with a desert valley in the middle that protects it from any lava flow, Milo was in serious danger in 1951 when, due to an eruptive fracture at low altitude. It seriously risked being overwhelmed by the lava. Anomalous eruptions  aside, however, it does not run any risk from its proximity  to the summit craters. On the contrary, it is a safe and highly sought-after tourist destination, one of the “gateways” to all of Etna’s trekking trails, as well as an area of ??splendid wooded panoramas.

The monuments of Milo are: the church, overlooking the panoramic terrace of the town; the bronze statue reproducing Battiato and Dalla (in the same square); the ancient wash house. Milo is also home to a natural monument: the tallest broom tree in Italy, located in the garden of a private house on the main Via Etnea.

Randazzo

The medieval pearl of Eastern Sicily, Randazzo, reached its maximum splendor precisely in the so-called “dark ages” before the advent of modernity. Yet, those were not bad times for this city (10,300 inhabitants) which in fact still preserves evidence of that wealthy time.

Located just 16 km from the central craters of Etna, it is well protected from the lava flows by the enormous bumps and ancient vents that have opened up over the centuries on the northern flank of the volcano. The lava would take months to reach the center, starting from the summit. Even Randazzo, paradoxically, risked being destroyed by a lateral eruption, due to an eruptive fracture that opened at low altitude in 1981. The lava, however, cooled before reaching the town.

There is much to see in Randazzo. The three main churches, each symbol of a specific neighbourhood and medieval identity (Santa Maria of the Latin Quarter, St Nicholas of the Greek Quarter, St Martin of the Norman-Lombard Quarter) are an architectural spectacle. In particular Santa Maria, built entirely of black lava stone, with decorations added in white stone. Not to be missed: Via degli Archi, the Town Hall, the Royal Palace and – in the nearby district of Murazzo Rotto – the monument to the fallen soldiers of Sicilian Independent Movement. Among the natural monuments that fall within the territory of Randazzo, the Grotta del Gelo, the most southern perennial glacier in Europe inside a deep lavic cave. (PHOTOS BY GRAZIA MUSUMECI)