The most active volcano in the world, namely MOUNT ETNA

Mount Etna rises on the eastern coast of Sicily, southwest of the Peloritani Mountains and southeast of the Nebrodi Mountains, in the territory of the Metropolitan City of Catania. It is crossed by the 15th meridian east, which takes its name from the volcano. With a diameter of over 40 kilometers and a base perimeter of approximately 135 km, it covers an area of 1265 km².

Mount Etna is the highest active terrestrial volcano on the Eurasian plate. Its frequent eruptions have sometimes profoundly altered the surrounding landscape and have often posed a threat to the surrounding settlements.

In 2013, UNESCO included Mount Etna on the list of World Heritage Sites.

The vegetation landscape, on the various slopes and at different altitudes, is the result of a balance that has been created between natural elements: the volcano and the vegetation that has already begun its work of colonizing and breaking down the rock, to allow for the future establishment of forests.
In addition to the characteristics related to the volcanic area, there are the climatic factors and the high mountain air in the very heart of the Mediterranean. A unique and exceptional context where man has also played his role, modifying the landscape to plant crops, working for centuries in close harmony with nature itself. In building his artifacts, he used the lava stone present on the ground, creating works that seem sculpted by the volcano, such as the terracing on the flanks of old extinct craters for planting vineyards, dry stone walls, and dry-stone structures.

Photo by Gabriele Condorelli

The different slopes and heights of Mount Etna show a rather varied vegetational context. Starting the visit from the sea, the natural open areas are characterized by Mediterranean scrub. The hills north of the capital were once dominated by woods and thickets, among which the farmhouses of Etna developed, later becoming municipalities and hamlets. These territories near the capital form, together with the city, a large urban agglomeration without interruption, in that area known as the metropolitan area, which has changed a lot since the times when agriculture was a driving sector of the Etna economy.

Photo by Gabriele Condorelli

In the hilly areas, crops occupy the altitude range where holm oaks were once established. On the southwestern and Ionian slopes, one finds citrus fruits. The hills host vineyards with typical terraced vines on the slopes formed by ancient, now extinct craters. In the same belt, often associated with the vine, one can also find olive and almond trees. In the territory of Bronte, on the western slope, the pistachio covers vast expanses. On the east and north-east slopes, the hazelnut tree is established, as it prefers more humid environments. A plant that distinguishes and scents the landscape on all slopes, from the sea to two thousand meters in altitude, is the Mount Etna broom (from May to July).

The Etna territory is a place where, thanks to the conditions that have occurred over the millennia, man has found soil and a climate with unique and exceptional organoleptic properties!