sicily Archives

Eruption of 1971, the hell on Mt Etna

Posted on 05/10/2020 (09/09/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

What happened on Mt Etna in 1971 was not “just an eruption“. It was part of hell that seemed to have fallen on the volcano. At the same time, it was a great show of nature. There were no safety laws, back then, so many people had the chance to get close to the lava […]

A walk in the Valley del Bove

Posted on 28/09/2020 (09/09/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

Valle del Bove means the “valley of the ox” but nobody knows the origin of this name. This valley is a great depression on the eastern flank of Mt Etna. It opened maybe 64.000 years ago, after the collapsing of the ancient craters – so called “Trifoglietto system” – due to the subsidence of the […]

On Mt Etna during an eruption

Posted on 14/09/2020 (09/09/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

An eruption. The dream of all tourists who come to Mt Etna. Why, then, should they visit a volcano? The eruption is the show! You look at the craters in the hope of something to happen, praying for it. And it usually happens, especially on Mt Etna. This is the most interesting active volcano in […]

Giants of Mt Etna, stories of big trees

Posted on 07/09/2020 (09/09/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

There are giants, on Mt Etna. Big, large beings leaving you breathless for their beauty and elegance. Do not be scared … they are not aliens! They are plants. Trees, to be exact. The giants of Etna are wonderful age-old trees that, from their nest in the woods, have seen armies, kings, events pass by. […]

Magazzeni, where the lava changed its course

Posted on 31/08/2020 (09/09/2024) by Grazia Musumeci

At about 6 km off the small town of Sant’Alfio, in a place almost wild and unhabited, you will find a small church with the typical alpine architecture. The Magazzeni Church. The name is quite strange, it reminds of a noble family or of “magazzini” (warehouses) used to keep agricultural tools. But it refers to […]