Volcano Etna: the "good Giant".

Etna is the highest volcano of Europe, it is in the north-eastern part of Sicily and it is active since millions of years. Etna is about 3300 m.high, it has got a boundary of about 210 Km and a surface of 1600 Km2. During its eruptive activity, lava can come out from hundreds of small craters which are spread on the volcano.

In the past the greatest eruption was that one which took place in 1669 ( here is a picture representing the eruption at that time ). On that occasion, lava destroyed many lands and villages and buried most of the city of Catania reaching the sea.

Among the eruptions of 1900 we can remember that of 1908, which led to the formation of new craters and that one happened in 1928 during which lava destroyed, covering it, the village of Mascali.

In 1971 the villages of Milo and Saint Alfio risked to be seriously damaged, by two eruptive mouths being on the south and east sides of the volcano, where two rivers of lava caused very serious damages to the roads and fruitful lands, and almost reaching the villlages.

In 1981 it was Randazzo, a small village, to be hit; in 1983, for the first time, lava was diverted in an artificial big canal using explosive powder. The aim of that was to avoid the distruption of some villages.

During recent years we have had many eruptions (in general once a year), but fortunately without dramatic consequences for people or villages.

Anyway, people from Catania consider the volcano the "good giant" and they are so affectionate to it that they couldn't manage to live without it!