mount etna Archives

Etna: if it is closed, it is closed. The importance of rules

Posted on 17/10/2026 (17/10/2026) by Grazia Musumeci

It happens often—all too often, in fact—that tourists or hikers visiting our volcano encounter prohibitions that prevent them from ascending toward the craters. For visitors, these restrictions become a nuisance, a source of frustration, and a trigger for complaints. “What do you mean? I’m only here for a few days, and you won’t let me […]

Natural “october sports” on Mt Etna: picking sweet fruits

Posted on 04/10/2026 by Grazia Musumeci

Looking for a different way to experience Mount Etna in the autumn? Take advantage of October’s weather—with its unpredictable days—and engage in those very “natural” sports that have long been part of mountain life. If you love nature, you’ll enjoy this too. October on Etna is a transitional “hybrid”: the landscape has not yet shed […]

Red ash and the airport closed: but this is not eruption

Posted on 28/09/2026 (28/09/2026) by Grazia Musumeci

It spews ash every day—ceaselessly, without a moment’s pause. It is a strange, reddish ash—so light that it barely settles on the ground, instead drifting on the wind to great altitudes, forcing aircraft to steer clear and causing the Catania airport to close again and again. And yet, Etna is not actually erupting. Italian media […]

Once upon a time… the glacier Grotta Tremila

Posted on 14/09/2026 by Grazia Musumeci

At a time when climate change is causing glaciers to collapse across the globe—triggering catastrophes and terrifying floods—Mount Etna, too, is losing one of its “secret” glaciers. Yet, this loss is not due to rising global temperatures; rather, it is the result of recent intense eruptive activity that also triggered an earthquake. The quake caused […]

Riuturi storms: how to face them on Mt Etna

Posted on 30/08/2026 by Grazia Musumeci

<< The word “riuturi” comes from “rivolture, overturning” and indicates the moment when the climate suddenly changes, going from hot to cold, from sun to downpours, from summer to winter. Specifically, the Riuturi can be identified more with the sound of distant thunder than with that of the wind >> . This text explains one […]