Mount Etna tours have resumed following the Sicilian volcano’s eruption on Monday, June 2, that sent hikers fleeing from its large plumes of smoke and ash.
The scene, while dramatic, is not an unusual occurrence for the Italian island, and no injuries or fatalities have been reported. The June 2 eruption was the largest in four years, but posed no danger to visitors or the local population, according to officials.
“As every Sicilian knows, since the dawn of time, Mount Etna does erupt few times a year, resulting mainly in ashfall,” Condé Nast Traveler travel specialist Marcello Giancoli, who specializes in planning trips to Italy, says. “This means that the volcano activity is a regular part of local life, that, with safety measures in place, is a natural hazard as well as a wonderful attraction to experience.”
If you have an upcoming trip planned to Sicily, here’s everything you need to know about the recent eruption.
How often does Mount Etna erupt?
Monday’s eruption lasted several hours and produced lava fountains, bursts of gas, and ash clouds visible across much of eastern Sicily, according to the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. This was the volcano’s fourteenth eruption since mid-March.
Volcanic activity at Mount Etna is “predominantly effusive, characterized mainly by the emission of lava flows that do not impact surrounding populations,” Ernesto Fucci, a trip designer for Sicily and Puglia at Butterfield&Robinson, tells Condé Nast Traveler. “Eruptions characterized by lava flows, which are harmless, are frequent and occur at regular periods, and also represent a remarkable attraction.”
“There is no major impact on a day-to-day life in the surrounding cities, but when explosive activity happens there could be inconvenience due to ash accumulation,” he adds.
Will it impact my flight?
An aviation warning was put in place at Catania Airport on Monday, the Associated Press reported, but the airport did not close and flights were not significantly disrupted. In the past, ash from the volcano has occasionally shut down flights to Sicily for several hours or days.
“The alert level has soon dropped to yellow and will drop to normal in the coming days,” Fucci says.” There has been a slight impact on flights to and from Catania airport, but it lasted only a few hours, and the situation is completely back to normal now.”
What resources can I check?
Scientists have developed automatic alert tools that predict Mount Etna’s eruptions “hours to days in advance by monitoring gas emissions, earthquakes, and ground changes,” Giancoli says. As of Wednesday, June 4, the Italian government has the alert level for Mount Etna listed as “yellow,” which means signs of volcanic activity are slightly above normal (“orange” means there are significant signs of an imminent eruption, and “red” indicates an ongoing eruption).
“Etna’s volcanic activity is highly monitored by Civil Protection Department and the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology,” Fucci says. “The latter is the most important authority on the matter, and it constantly issues information and updates regarding the volcanic activities.”
Is it safe to hike Mount Etna?
Mount Etna, whose stunning peak rises 11,014 feet tall and slopes toward the Ionian Sea, is a popular attraction for both hikers and tourists. Video footage obtained by CNN shows a tour group running downhill away from the explosion on June 2; Italian officials have confirmed that all hikers were evacuated safely.
Hikers have since returned to the volcano’s slopes following the eruption, but officials are advising tourists to check for warnings before venturing towards the summit, Reuters reports. Trekkers are required to be accompanied by an authorized guide in order to hike Mount Etna above 2500m (8202 feet).
“There are many activities that can be organized, always in safety, on Mt. Etna, from helicopter tours to guided jeep excursions, from mountain biking to very immersive hiking in the company of experienced volcanologists,” says Fucci, who notes there are also several winery visits and tastings offered in the area.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with information as it becomes available.