lava flows Archives

Dagale of Etna, “miracle-oases from Allah”

Posted on 08/01/2023 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

When they take you to explore the beauties of Mount Etna you will see many of them. But maybe you won’t notice if your guide doesn’t point them out to you. They are the “dagale”, islands of green surrounded by black lava. Small oases that seem to have been spared from the fury of the […]

Lake of Nicito, life and death of a volcanic lake

Posted on 03/12/2022 (21/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

If today you walk through Santa Maria di Gesù square in Catania, among large shady trees, crazy traffic and concrete buildings, you would hardly believe that once, here, there was only a huge expanse of lava. And that even before the lava arrived, a lake existed right here. A lake that wasn’t even supposed to […]

Sciara del Follone, the long eruption of 1614-1624

Posted on 21/11/2022 (21/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

There was a period, in the mid-17th century, when seeing Etna erupting had become so normal that the volcano with the flame on top appeared everywhere. It was in the frescoes of the churches, in the paintings of noble families’ houses, in the heraldic symbols … . That fire that lit up the night was […]

Halloween on Mount Etna

Posted on 30/10/2022 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

If you love the new fashion of terror, Halloween, which fits perfectly with some local traditions – such as the Day of the Dead Souls – you can celebrate fear and mystery even on the most beautiful volcano in Europe. In fact, Mount Etna hides mysteries and stories of fear that have nothing to envy […]

Torchlight procession in August on Mt Etna

Posted on 21/08/2022 (20/12/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

The torchlight processions in the mountains are now a common sight. It is easier to see them in winter, when the snow contrasts with the glow of the fire. It was the Alpine people who taught the world this tradition, filling certain cold nights on the highest peaks in Europe with lights. And the tradition […]