Sicily Travel Guide: Mount Etna

To the ancient Greeks, Mount Etna was the realm of Vulcan, god of fire, and the home of the one-eyed monster known as the Cyclops.

As of May 2013, Mount Etna has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“A’ Muntagna” (“the mountain” in local dialect) has always dominated the lives of those who live in its shadow: Its lava flows and dust clouds bring destruction, but they also enrich the soil, making the lower slopes and the surrounding plains some of the most fertile regions in Sicily, and spawning vast expanses of vines and citrus plantation.

The power and romance of mount Etna, at 3,323 m (almost 10,902 ft) the tallest active volcano in Europe, and undoubtedly the dominating feature of the eastern part of Sicily have attracted the attention of travellers, artists, poets and philosophers for centuries.

"I would jump down Etna for any public good - but I hate a mawkish popularity." John Keats Letter, April 9, 1818