Introduction to Mt. Etna

23km (14 miles) SW of Taormina, 31km (19 miles) N of Catania, 60km (37 miles) S of Messina

Looming menacingly over the coast of eastern Sicily, Mount Etna is the highest and largest active volcano in Europe -- and we do mean active. The peak has changed in size over the years, but is currently in the neighborhood of 3,292m (10,801 ft.). Etna has been active in modern times (in 1928, the little village of Mascali was buried under its lava), and eruptions in 2001 and 2002 rekindled Sicilian fears. In October 2002, the air was thick and dirty over eastern Sicily as Mount Etna once again spewed out columns of ash that blackened skies as far away as Tripoli, on the coast of North Africa. Although lava flowed down both sides of the mountain, at press time no villages were endangered.

Etna has figured in history and in Greek mythology. Empedocles, the 5th-century B.C. Greek philosopher, is said to have jumped into its crater as a sign that he was being delivered directly to Mount Olympus to take his seat among the gods. It was under Etna that Zeus crushed the multiheaded dragon Typhoeus, thereby securing domination over Olympus. Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmiths, made his headquarters in Etna, aided by the single-eyed Cyclops.

The Greeks warned that whenever Typhoeus tried to break out of his prison, lava erupted and earthquakes cracked the land. That must mean that the monster nearly escaped on March 11, 1669, the date of one of the most violent eruptions ever recorded -- it destroyed Catania.

Visitors will have to decide whether to ascend Mount Etna from the northern or southern approach. We prefer the north-facing side, partly because it's cooler, more beautiful, and much richer in wildflowers that thrive in the volcanic soil. The north side is also more heavily forested. The south side, because of the eruptions during the last decade, is mostly covered with barren-looking lava flows. Its access routes are more crowded, and its views less appealing. Nonetheless, many visitors to Catania come up Etna's south side.

If you decide to come up the north side, simply take the highway to its end, Piano Provenzana, which stops at a complex of Alpine-inspired chalets selling souvenirs. During the heat of a Sicilian summer, they appear visibly out of place, but in winter, because of the high altitude (2,700m/8,858 ft.), they function as the centerpiece of a small-scale but thriving ski colony. The ski facilities include five downhill ski lifts and a network of cross-country ski trails.

It is from this artificial-looking alpine hamlet of Piano Provenzana that you buy tickets for bus excursions to the top of Mount Etna. The round-trip lasts 2 hours and cost 40€ ($48) for adults, 30€ ($36) for children younger than 12. Departures are whenever business merits, but in summer, buses leave usually every hour.

The bus tours are loaded with biocurious, bioconscious folks from throughout Europe, especially France, who shoot away on their cameras as the specially equipped bus (more like an armored car) winds its way laboriously uphill, through gravel beds and rocky gullies, past barren, lichen-covered gray-green landscapes. Frankly, it's not all that exciting. At the top, the bus parks near a seismic exploration station, which is mostly abandoned, and visitors walk a bit farther to a point near the top, across gravel-covered landscapes of great brutality. There's no fire and brimstone to see -- if there is, and if the crater is active, all bus trips are immediately discontinued. Note that visibility is poor on cloudy days; it's also generally clearer in the mornings.

In Taormina, CST, Corso Umberto I 101 (tel. 0942-626088), organizes tours to Etna, offered Monday to Friday in summer. The cost is 70€ ($84) per person. The office is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 7:30pm; closed on Saturday October to April.

A road around the foot of the volcano takes you through magnificent country where the rich soil has spawned many plantations and vineyards. Pistachio trees and prickly pears are commonplace. If you're driving around Etna in the morning, you can usually see the volcano, although it is often hidden in mist after lunch.