Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe

Hi I am Maria,

one of the several young Sicilians who emigrated to the north in search of work. Sicily is always in my heart and when I can, I jump there; what I love the most is to write about the places of my land in a blog.

Today Sicily Rent Car gave me the opportunity to visit and talk about one of the absolute wonders of the island: Mount Etna.

Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since June 2013.

It is an important international volcanological research centre and a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. Its landscape is unique in the world; the craters, ashes, lava flows, lava caves and the depression of the Bove valley, are part of landscapes that we are not used to see every day.

Centuries and centuries of eruptions have gradually modified the surrounding landscape, transforming the typical Mediterranean flora and fauna of Sicily into a suggestive almost lunar environment, surrounded by a vast protected natural park.

Both the park and the volcano itself can be visited thanks to numerous nature trails, open to everyone. In addition, the volcano has several mouths scattered at various altitudes, produced by the various eruptions over time, easily accessible by visitors such as the Crateri Silvestri where Francesco and I, CEO of Sicily Rent Car, were.

Here the time literally stops, it almost seems like walking above the clouds; the best moments to fall in love with the view are those in the afternoon near dusk. The mainly black landscape is tinged with wonderful reddish notes, the mind becomes light and stops worrying about hectic life for a moment, the heart is filled with beauty and you can realize how big this world is and how many opportunities to seize, everything becomes possible.

Today I understand the indissoluble bond between Catania and Etna: the volcano dominates the city from above and redraws the panorama and bewitches all the inhabitants who are rightly proud of it.

At night, when the volcano is erupting, the view of Etna is particularly suggestive: the impressive river of lava that flows slowly along the walls of the mountain and the gushes that come out to illuminate the sky are a unique and unmissable sight.

Undisputed symbol of Sicily, Etna is a fundamental stop for those who visit this magnificent land, both in winter and summer.

Not to be missed!

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