Excursion to the Etna...part two, the Volcano

As we piled into Enrico's Excursions Sicily mini-bus in Zafferana to prepare for the drive up Mt. Etna, Enrico told us about a 1992 eruption that stopped just short of the village.  Workers frantically dug huge ditches to divert the flow of lava, and it was finally stopped about 800 meters from the town.  Here is a nighttime photo from a local newspaper showing the hot lava flow and the church...

As we began the climb up the volcano we began to see more and more snow.  Enrico reminded us that Etna is a volcano, not a mountain.  Mountains do not change their shape, volcanos do.

Enrico drove us up to a place called Rifugio Sapienza.  At 2,000 meters (6,500 ft.) above sea level, this is as high as you can drive with a normal vehicle.  The actual summit of Etna is almost 11,000 feet above sea level.  At the Rifugio there are parking areas and a restaurant, and lots of snow.

our tour bus...

from the edge of the parking lot at the Rifugio...

Enrico is explaining to us how the 1971 eruption destroyed the original buildings at Rifugio Sapienza, including the original cable car, and raised the level of the parking lot by sixty feet!

From the Rifugio you could walk to the Crateri Silvestri, a group of inactive volcano cones.  We were able to walk all the way around one of the larger ones.  It was truly an amazing, surreal experience.

Here is our group beginning the trek around the crater...

Who is this Mystery Man of Etna... ?

 From this point you could take the funicular or trek to higher points on the volcano.  This cone was next to the Silvestri group....

The Etna visit was truly one of the great experiences of a lifetime.  The place is so barren and desolate, yet as you walk on these ever-changing formations of lava stone, you have the sense that something is bubbling underground...

We close this post with a view of Mt. Etna from The Lemon Tree... majestic, alluring, and unpredictable....

On to The Etna part three... wine tasting at 3,300 feet above sea level!

Touch any photo to enlarge....