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Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, is erupting again, prompting urgent safety measures from local Italian authorities. The eruption has led to spectacular lava flows, attracting large crowds of tourists despite the significant dangers posed by the phenomenon. Officials warn that hydro-magmatic explosions—violent bursts of steam caused by the interaction between lava and snow—pose a serious risk to anyone venturing too close.
Despite the warnings, the lava flow—now stretching approximately 3.5 kilometers (2 miles)—continues to fascinate visitors, photographers, and videographers. The eruption, which has reached the Galvarina area of Adrano at an altitude of 2,000 meters, has also impacted local infrastructure. While the Etna cable car remains operational, only snowcats are being used for transport, and the ski facilities at Piano Provenzana have been temporarily closed.
Meanwhile, Catania Airport has partially reopened after closing sectors A3 and A3 bis due to volcanic ash emissions. Airport officials are closely monitoring the situation for any further disruptions. Travellers are advised to contact their airline before heading out to the airport.
Despite the risks, the eruption remains a breathtaking natural spectacle. However, officials are urging visitors to exercise caution, adhere to restrictions, and respect the dangers posed by one of the world’s most volatile volcanoes.
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An influx of volcano visitors is becoming a safety risk in Sicily
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Thousands of tourists have travelled to Mount Etna to see the Sicilian volcano erupt
with local authorities warning that “careless behaviour” is blocking rescue routes
photographers and volcanologists have flocked to see spectacular sprays of lava flow onto the snow from the Bocca Nuova crater – and the influx of volcano visitors is becoming a safety risk
Local authorities warned on Sunday (16 February) that the increase in tourism has blocked rescue routes for emergency vehicles on the volcano
Salvo Cocina, Sicily’s head of regional civil protection
wrote on Facebook that “wild” parking on “narrow streets” has stopped the circulation of emergency vehicles
“With darkness the risk of falls and deepening in snow increases”
Alpine Rescue responded to a woman “totally inadequate for equipment” having a panic attack
and a 48-year-old man suffered a fractured foot following a fall on the ice on Sunday
eight others “lost their way” on the volcano and were only located several hours later
with large crowds preventing precautionary 4x4 ambulances from getting through
Mr Cocina said that although the majority of tourists are “well accompanied by alpine and volcanological guides”
it is the “careless behaviour of unprepared people that create most accidents and calls for help”
have banned tourists from approaching the “dangerous” lava for safety reasons
Videos from day-trippers showing groups just steps from lava streams appear not to have heeded the warning
Ragalna and Nicolosi have mobilised traffic patrols to control the flow of cars through the “already congested” area and ski facilities in Piano Provenzana remain closed
Catania Airport also issued a state of alert to divert flights from the ash clouds on Sunday and Monday
The Sicilian airport shared on X/Twitter: “As a result of today’s volcanic activity
it has been confirmed the closure of the South airspace sector and the interruption of all flight arrivals.”
All airport services have since been restored
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Mount Etna’s current eruptive phase started on 11 February
Three individuals have died and seven others are injured
following a collision between a van and a minivan transporting agricultural workers
along state road 194 in the province of Syracuse
The vehicles collided head-on around 2 p.m
Two people died immediately after the impact
while a third succumbed to injuries shortly after being rescued
All were employees of a Catania-based company
working on orange harvesting on behalf of a firm from Adrano
The workers were returning to their hometown after a day's work in Francofonte
The youngest victim had only been working for a week
Preliminary investigations suggest that the collision occurred when one of the vehicles partially crossed into the opposite lane just as the other vehicle was approaching
Fatigue leading to inattention is one of the suspected causes
and the Carabinieri from Augusta's company
and a helicopter ambulance quickly transported the most seriously injured to hospitals in Syracuse and Catania
"It is a day of great sorrow." The death toll is "speechless," wrote Elly Schlein
extending condolences to the families on behalf of the entire party
Flags were flown at half-mast at all UIL union offices
while regional and local union secretaries
expressed readiness to support all initiatives to shed light on this tragic incident and assured union and legal support to the victims' families
this becomes a battle dedicated to the three workers who will not return home
having left early in the morning to earn a few euros," they added
i paramenti sacri rivestono un ruolo di primaria importanza
Three members of the criminal organization targeted by the "El Rais" operation
carried out by the Catania District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office
Mancano pochi giorni all'inizio del 72° Raduno Nazionale dei Bersaglieri
che dall'8 all'11 maggio 2025 trasformerà Marsala in un palcoscenico di storia
dedicato a uno dei corpi militari più rappresentativi..
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The museum reveals itself to visitors inside the rooms of the Norman Castle of Adrano
at the end of the fifties of the twentieth century
destined as a museum to house the archaeological heritage coming from occasional recoveries
from scientifically conducted excavations in the Adranite territory
and in the nearby areas by the Archaeological Superintendence of Syracuse and the Superintendency for cultural and environmental heritage of Catania
dedication and culture of two great men were fundamental: the archaeologist and superintendent Luigi Bernabò Brea and the professor Saro Franco
Today the structure preserves and exhibits important archaeological collections dating from the Neolithic age (6500 - 3500 BC) to the Middle Ages (11th century AD)
ethno-anthropological and bibliographic collections
© 2025 Parco archeologico e paesaggistico di Catania e della Valle dell'ACI
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This article was published more than 1 year ago
Italy's Mount Etna erupts and lights up the sky in Sicily
sending ash falling on nearby communities.ANTONIO PARRINELLO/Reuters
and forcing a shutdown of that city’s airport
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology
which closely monitors Etna with instrumentation on the slopes
noted that cloud cover on a rainy day was impeding views of the eruption
which often serves up a spectacular display of flaming lava during the volcano’s not infrequent eruptions
The institute said that ash had fallen on Catania and at least one town on Mount Etna’s inhabited slopes
said the city’s airport would be closed at least until Sunday evening
INGV indicated that monitoring had recorded evidence of a stepping up in tremor activity in recent days
People in the towns of Adrano and Biancavilla reported hearing loud booms emanating from the volcano on Sunday
an eruption of the volcano lasted several weeks
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2015 at 7:10 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}From Leo P
the beloved husband of Carmela Brunetto Bivona
passed away peacefully at Yale New Haven Hospital on Monday
He was the eldest son of the late Pietro and Giuseppa {Pignataro} Bivona
Antonio brought his family to America in 1969
He was employed by the Town of Darien for over twenty years
In addition to his loving wife of 51 years
his son Sal and his wife Courtney also of Trumbull
his son Angelo and his wife Kathy of Stamford and his daughter Josephine and her husband David Gaudiano also of Stamford
who he believed were “Little Angels sent from God”
his devoted nephew Pietro and his wife Maria and their children
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Sacred Heart Church
Interment will follow in the Spring Grove Cemetery
memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
The Archaeological and Landscape Park of Catania and the Aci Valley includes sites located both in the area of the metropolitan city of Catania the territory of Enna
The institutional aim of the Park is above all the research
the valorisation and the fruition of important diversified cultural realities
In the archaeological park of Catania the monumental complexes of the Roman age are relevant
the Terme della Rotonda and the Terme dell'Indirizzo
the area of Santa Venera al Pozzo (Aci Catena) there are remains of thermal facilities and handicrafts from the imperial age; finally
Annunziata di Mascali with mosaic and pictorial evidence from the medieval age
Sites of archaeological value are associated with important museums
That of Adranolocated inside the Norman castle
with collections of prehistoric age among the most significant in southern Italy
The Centuripe Museum - an internationally renowned centre for the production of ceramics and pottery - with valuable collections of statuary and epigraphs
That of Ceramics of Caltagirone – second in Italy only to its counterpart in Faenza - whose collections of ceramics and terracotta from prehistoric times to the early 20th century come from all over Sicily
Catania's Greek phase is the subject of the permanent exhibition "Katàne tra mito e rito"
The exhibition is housed in the former Manifattura Tabacchi
Katanè is a precious example of industrial archaeology in the heart of the city's historic centre
The ancient theatre of Catania is located on the extreme southern slopes of the hill of Montevergine
The area shows evidence of frequentation from prehistoric times
It also preserves traces of the theatre building from the Greek period
probably connected to the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in Via Crociferi
The current structure dates back to Roman times and has several construction phases
the first dating back to the first century AD
the theatre took on larger and more magnificent proportions thanks to the construction of a monumental entrance
A larger cavea and a more articulated and richly decorated stage building were built
From the same period theOdeonIt was used instead for poetic and musical competitions
Further modified in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD
it was then abandoned and gradually covered by buildings
Two dwellings (Casa Pandolfo - Casa Liberti)
These display the most significant evidence produced by archaeological investigations
Joshua Anastasi stole the limelight again last weekend by winning the Adrano Hillclimb
in the process extending Malta's perfect record to four wins in four events held in Sicily over the past few months
Anastasi topped the timesheets with a comfortable margin to secure his second win in Sicily
The newly-crowned ICC Hillclimb champion was unrivalled at Adrano
posting a time almost four seconds better than champion Giuseppe Spoto in the first run
then cruising in the second after being informed that nobody had bettered his time
Anastasi was driving his JBR3 Kawasaki for the last time in a season that has seen him win several races
Only three Maltese drivers made the trip to Sicily last week
the number being lower than usual due to the fact that the Island Car Club was due to promote the last round of the local championship on the same weekend
while the sun shone brightly over Adrano and the Etna
forcing the organisers to postpone the event for this weekend
David Anastasi was among the three Team Malta Grimaldi drivers who chose to compete in the Sicily event
He needed just a few points to secure the championship class in Sicily
so heroics were certainly not on the agenda
he produced two mature and calculated runs
placing well in his very competitive class and assuring himself the championship
The same cannot be said of the third Malta driver
whose Sunday was marred by problems and disappointments
On arrival at the hill early Sunday morning
his Honda-powered Lotus Elise would not start on the button
attempts were made to sort out the electrical malfunction
many Italians also joining in with help and advice
but still the car was not keeping its charge
a slight miscalculation on the first run saw the Lotus clip a wall
requiring yet more repair work for the last run
"It was one of those days you'd rather forget," said a disconsolate Calleja who
still finished a commendable third in class
The Sicily season has now come to an end and our own Malta season closes on Sunday at Ġnejna
You could say that 2008 has been the best year in a long time for local motorsport
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Three drivers from the Island Car Club (ICC) will be in Sicily this weekend
competing at the three-kilometre hill climb at Adrano
The Adrano Hill Climb is organised by Nando Salerno
The three Grimaldi Team Malta drivers are 2008 ICC Hill Climb and Sprint champion Joshua Anastasi
driving his home-built JBR3 powered by a Kawasaki ZZR14 engine
veteran David Anastasi with his crowd-pulling Mini Doda powered by a Honda Blackbird 1200 engine
He will be driving a newly-built Lotus Elan powered by a Honda 1800 engine
racing in the Supersalite class up to 1200
will be in one of the most competitive classes with a reputed 15 entries this time
Thanks to the fact that he has so far always managed to beat them all and win his class
he now heads the Sicilian Regional Hill Climb Championship with just this last round to go
heads his class and is also well placed for an overall award
By Sunday evening the Maltese drivers will have raced in four rounds of the Sicilian championship this year
Grimaldi Team Malta driver Zach Zammit started things on the right foot when he won at Cesaro
Multiple Malta champion Hubert Camilleri followed this up with a fine win at the Etna
and Joshua Anastasi made it three out of three for Malta at Vittoria two weekends ago
The team is managed by veteran Joe Anastasi
A light magnitude 2.0 earthquake hit 11.5 km (7 mi) away from Adrano, Sicily, Italy
The quake had a very shallow depth of 4.2 km (2.6 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).