Sicily and Mount Etna!

I have not long returned from a week in Sicily and visited various places (Palermo, Catania, Taormina, Acireale), but was really excited about the expedition to the most prominent landmark: Mount Etna! The volcano is Europe's largest active volcano, at approximately 3,330 metres, it towers over the Ionian coastline.



Mount Etna is a stratovolcano made up of four summit craters and is surrounded by 200 major and secondary cones. At the base of Mount Etna we saw typical Sicilian vineyards and orchards on terraced slopes. Our bus stopped outside the village of Zafferana Etnea to enable our group to dismount. We then set off on foot and we reached Bove Valley, a depression on the eastern side of Etna (a caldera formed after a cone collapsed several thousand years ago). It was epic! Below is a bit of footage from my Flip cam!





View my photos on Flickr.

Here are some interesting blogs that give you a good insight into current affairs and life in Sicily:
-Sicilian Culture- Covers many issues.
-Sicilian Odyssey- US Navy-based teacher's experience of Sicilian life.
-Libera Palermo- A blog in Italian, but you can get a feel for the daily struggles of the anti-Mafia movement.
-Ragusa and Sicily Guide- has good stuff on Ragusa and Sicily in general.
-Sicily Guide- Current affairs and debate.