Welcome to the largest active volcano in Europe: Mount Etna.
Birth and development of a wonder of the world
Symbol of the island that has always marked and still marks the life of the inhabitants of Etna. The Sicilian territory is characterized by its presence and its majesty. In what is now the surroundings of the city of Catania and which was once a gulf, Etna was born from underwater eruptions, about 500,000 years ago. Etna (also called “Mungibeddu” or “à Muntagna”, in Sicilian language) is the highest volcano in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.
The altitude of Etna reaches today about 3,330 m.a.s.l, its diameter is approximately 45 km and occupies an area of 1,570 square kilometers. The volcanic soil has unique characteristics in the world in that around the craters, lava flows are noticeable: black if they are recent, gray when instead they date back to more distant times. The incessant activity of the volcano is testified by the aforementioned flows, occasionally interrupted by some newly built road. A multitude of eruptions occurred in ancient times but it was in 1669 that the most devastating eruption took place. A river of lava reached the sea, partly devastating the city of Catania.
Eruptions in recent times
