Today we took a tour to the top of Mt Etna, the
largest and most active volcano in Europe.
Our landlord Massimiliano’s friend, Vincenzo (Byron Guided Excursions -
www.byronge.com),
picked us up in his van and drove us
along the seaside and up the mountain. We went up as far as the 6000 foot level,
where we could see the top of the volcano. He gave us a lot of history of the volcano &
the lava flows, as well as the formation of Sicily. Vincenzo was very knowledgeable
and it was very educational.
Lava flows from 1971 showing regrowth started
Volcanic ash from 2012 eruption
This little shrine was wiped out in 1951 lava flow, but spared in the 1971 flow
This farmer`s shed did not survive
The mountain had snow as we went further up
The top of Etna is 11,000 feet and we got to 6000 feet.
One of several blow holes where steam is vented
A section of this forest was completely destroyed by lava flow in 2002
This is what was left
A picture of Etna eruption taken at night
On the way back we stopped at the Gambino family winery (no relation to the NY Gambino family as far as we know) for a combination wine tasting and lunch. We sampled four great Sicilian wines grown in the rich volcanic soil of Mt Etna. The food was absolutely delicious with lots of Sicilian anti-pasta and the wines were outstanding (so we bought 4 bottles to take home). The whole day was a very enjoyable experience.
The winery was a beautiful building with a panoramic view (hidden by clouds when we were there)
Enjoying the tasting and lunch
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment