The towns leading up to Mt. Etna are charming...Nicolosi, Zafferana, Castiglione.... this is a huge farming area and terraced gardens are seen on nearly every hillside. Its also famous for its vineyards and we passed many on the way up the mountain. Apparently the areas to the east and the south are under no threat for lava flows despite the recent eruptions as they have been spewing molten lave to the northern side where it has been flowing into a desolate valley and away from inhabited areas. The last time the flows headed towards Catania was in 1992. The climb up to the mountain starts out with lush, green trees & foliage but as you get higher and higher the trees and bushes disappear leaving a strange and eerie barren ground. You can go through areas where the forests still stand but it's clear where the lava flows as there is little greenery left, except for lichens and mossy areas. Our guide mentioned that it takes 100-200 years for the ground to start to regenerate itself but it ultimately becomes some of the most fertile soil ever.While considered to be one of Europe's most active volcanos, Mt. Etna is what they consider to be a 'friendly' volcano. Obviously property can and has been destroyed but people are rarely killed from its effusive rather than explosive nature...it's lava flows are very slow, allowing time to get out of harm's way.
 |
| Fields of lava |
 |
| A dormant crater... |
 |
| Red Mountain...this last erupted in 1892 |
 |
| Chair lift for skiing & sightseeing in the distance.. |
 |
| VERY sharp edges! |
 |
| Caverns created when the lava hardens |
 |
| Easy to see the path of the lava flow here... |
 |
| View of the coast as we came down the mountain |
 |
| Lava that reached the water hundreds of years ago! |
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment