It’s hot outside and no matter what I do, I cannot escape the need to retreat to a cooler place. On the shores, the wind is no show and the heat slows my pace. Soon, though, armed with water and will, we start our journey to Etna. As a passenger, I sit quietly in the chair of the car and watch, eyes wide open, the surrounding landscape. Etna erupted for the first time 500,000 years ago and is currently the largest active volcano in Europe. You’d think the place is not very favorable for people and settlements and yet Etna is one of the most densely populated regions of Sicily.
Even if the eruptions destroy the peaks of volcanoes, Etna measures today over 3,320 meters. Its pick is accessible by cable car from the 2.000 m base. Until there, the road, its curves, and the surrounding landscape will amaze you. It is full of green, lush slopes: well watered by springs, containing one of the most fertile soils in the world – due to volcanic ash rich in minerals – the slopes are impressive. People here experience an abundance of vegetables, fruits and the taste of grapes from the local vineyards is famous worldwide. Suddenly we pass through a portion of land covered in huge trees. The forests surrounding the slopes never give you a hint of the massive destruction that regularly disrupts people’s lives.
Slowly, strips of black-brown gravel appear within the green vegetation. We are halfway through and the clouds are hiding from our view the peak of the volcano. And then, in a blink of an eye, I find myself in an alien landscape: hypnotic, surreal, strange. Up here, the vegetation is gone, replaced by rocks and magma. The wind goes through the landscape with icy fingers. Occasionally, I spot deep pits left behind by the excavators processing the volcanic rock. The road stops at 2.000 m altitude. Up here there is a parking and facilities arrange for the curious tourists. When descending from the car I freeze instantly. Um, well, how was it? Didn’t I want a cool place an hour ago? Switching from 27 degrees to a few degrees up here gives me the chills. 30 euros later I quickly buy a jumper to warm me a bit. So lesson number one – takes with you a sweater, a sweatshirt, a jacket or it will cost you dearly.
And judging by the onsite wooden shops containing hoodies and scarves I think that, just like me, most of the people who do not know this fact go through the thermic sock. The items are expensive but you do not have a choice. You will also find souvenir shops, lined up nicely, defying the threatening peak shrouded in fog. They constitute a pleasant surprise as you did not expect them to be here. From icons carved in magma, alcohol bottles to expensive gold jewelry – you guessed it – embellished with magma and fridge magnets, all are unique gifts to have as souvenirs. There is also a restaurant where you can have something to eat or go use the bathroom but as always, it is crowded and ordering will take a while.
One aspect that for me rapidly turn into a trauma: the millions of ladybugs covering the ground. Everywhere I looked and whatever I did, I could not move without stepping on them. They cover the cars, the slopes, the shops. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere, ever. I seek protection inside the stores for the poor creatures being massacred shatters my nerves. The saleslady seems accustomed to the situation. I’m still in shock.
Most tourists stop at 2.000 m altitude. For the brave, a cable car will take you up to the crater.
A slow and long journey but, none the less, an experience to live once in a lifetime. Faced with its destructive force, feelings of fear and exaltation mix, making me appreciate the fragility of life. Etna and Catania remain embedded in my mind, their strange beauty a testimony to the deadly force of nature. And in the same time, an evidence of the incredible strength of life that always determined people to come back to this lands.
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