Mount Etna, Sicily

 I was in Sicily in mid May 2022 and was lucky as Etna was active that week, whereas earlier that month there was little activity. I flew into Catania, which is Sicily's second largest city and is located at the foot of Etna. That day the mountain was largely covered by cloud. We stayed on the north coast for 3 nights, then spent the last 4 nights in Giardini Naxos, which is to the north of Catania. Everyday we had a good view of Etna as we went out on tours. At night there was a good view of the lava flows from the hotel roof terrace. Photo taken 7.20 am looking towards the NE slopes -

At times there were 2 distinct plumes of smoke emerging, one white and one black. 

On 15 May we went up Etna. We drove up the south side, through some small villages and past lots of fertile plains with crops such as vegetables, citrus fruits, particularly oranges and grapes for wine. Even Kiwi fruit and pistachios are grown. Further up the yellow broom shrubs were blooming. As we got higher, the vegetation disappeared and we passed through lava fields.

There were many lava caves and tunnels marked on my map. The guide pointed out one, Grotta dei Tre Livelli (Cave of the Three Levels), which is used for adventure caving. It is 1150 m long and the entrance is right by the road. 

We went on up to the huge parking area. I then took the cable car up. Each gondola takes 6 passengers. Our guide told us the cable car is often destroyed by eruptions so is often rebuilt! The departure base is at an altitude of 1900 m (6200 ft.), while the "summit" station is at an altitude of 2500 m (8200 ft.).

Looking up

and looking back down

At the top of the cable car, there was the option of going up further in a large 4WD and doing a crater walk. I hadn't booked this as I was worried about the altitude as I get altitude sickness quite early (at low altitudes). So I just walked around and although I could feel the thinner air it wasn't a problem. I had dressed up warmly expecting it to be cold up there, but the sun was shining and there was no wind, so it was very pleasant.

During late Spring and early Summer, ladybirds migrate towards mountainous areas to mate. This includes Etna. However it was a bit early and I only saw a few mating. The female is larger than the male -

I went back down and walked over to Silvestri crater

This slope is a red colour due to iron minerals - 

That evening the lava flow could clearly be seen

The following evening at dusk -

And the evening after, there was more lava and it had split into 2 channels -

I later checked the eruption updates and it says "small, but intense lava fountains feeding lava flow" and there is a video taken on the 18 May. The text describes how the behaviour has changed and intensified over 24 hours. The fissure vent I could see from the hotel is a new one, it appeared on 12th. So I was lucky to be there at the right time to see it, as this is the most activity since August 2021. 

See more on the eruptions on Global Volcanism Program. 

Venice floods Dec 2020

I was in Venice in Oct 2020. I knew there was a flood defence system to prevent the waters from the lagoon overflowing into the city. It had been tested for the first time in July 2020, after a long delay. Large yellow gates are situated in 3 places at the entrance to the lagoon (image from Guardian)

The gates were tested again in early Oct, just before my visit. So I was surprised to read there was a big flood in Venice just 2 months after my visit, on 8 Dec. It seems the gates need 48 hour to be activated and the authorities were caught off guard. The weather forecast had been inaccurate.

And my photo from 8 Oct -

Needless to say the locals are very angry. They are already suffering from the lack of tourists due to the Covid pandamic, and now the flood has added to their woes.

*****

UPDATE, THOUGH NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO FLOODS

March 2021

Venice bans cruise ships from historic centre

Italian authorities have approved a ban on cruise ships entering the historic centre of Venice.

The country's culture minister said that the decision came in response to a request from UN cultural body Unesco.

Large ships will now have to dock at the city's industrial port until a permanent solution is found.

Critics argue the ships cause pollution and erode the foundations of the city, which suffers from regular flooding.

Italian ministers agreed that large cruise and container ships would no longer be able to enter the city's Giudecca canal, which leads to the historic St Mark's Square.

Photos from BBC article -

Lido di Jesolo over 60 years

Lido di Jesolo is a seaside resort town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy and is on the Adriatic Sea. It has a 15 km long beach.

I first went there in 1964. We stayed for 2 weeks and did various tours, such as to Venice and the Dolomites. My next visit was a day trip in 1987 and my most recent visit was also a day trip, in 2020.

Nowadays the entire length of beach is totally lined with hotels. Each hotel surrounding the beach has its own private section of beach with tables, umbrellas and sun loungers for that hotel only. When I visited in mid Oct 2020, which was the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, all the hotels were closed, and the beach was free of tables and chairs. And there were only a couple of beach cafes open.

In 1964 we stayed at the Hotel Principe Palace. It was founded in 1947 and undergone major renovations over the years. On my visit in 2020 I went to look at the hotel. 

Mum & I on the balcony 1964

Relaxing outside the hotel 1964

2020

The beach is composed of yellow Dolomitic sand. The Dolomites are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps. They extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley. I saw the River Adige in Verona, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the Po. Map of the Dolomites and the River Adige in Verona -

And looking at the Dolomites from Venice in 2020 -

The beach at Lido di Jesolo -

Looking at the above 2 photos, there are trees and large gaps between hotels. Now, there are far more hotels with little space between them.

1987

There is now a paved walkway between the beach and the hotels. The empty beach in Oct 2020 -

See my blog on Venice. 

Venice over 60 years

 I've been lucky enough to have gone on foreign holidays ever since I was born. In my early years we generally went to Italy. I guess that was the "in" place in the 60s. And ever since I could write, I kept a holiday diary and still have those diaries. 

Having recently been to Venice in Oct 2020, which was my 5th time, I decided to dig out my old photos for comparison. The earliest photos are from a holiday to Italy in 1960 - we went to Rimini, Florence, Padua and Venice.

My next visit was in 1964 but there are no photos of Venice, possibly as we just did a day trip from Lido di Jesolo. Then 1978, but the photo colours are now terrible. The 1987 photos are better.

1960 - This was possibly my only time on a gondola. That's little me at the back, with mum, and dad is at the front of the boat -

And the gondolas in 2020, they now cost €80 for 30 minutes

St Marks Square -

1960

1960

1978

2020

Note the abundance of pigeons in 1960 and 1978, but none in 2020. Feeding of pigeons was banned in 2008. But the pigeons were still there 10 years later. See more on pigeons of Venice and the historical reason they were there. 

Similar views from 1978 and 2020 -

2020 was the year of the worldwide Covid-19 outbreak so there were a lot less visitors to Venice than normal. 

View from Accademia bridge of the Grand Canal in 1978 and 2020, looking towards Basilica de Santa Maria Salute -

And a closer view of the basilica -

Photos of a similar view of San Giorgio Maggiore taken in 1960 and 1978 -

This is a 1987 photo, I don't remember seeing any cats or phone boxes in 2020 !

In 1964 we did a lagoon tour. We went from Lido di Jesolo to Punta Sabbioni then took a motor boat to Murano and visited a glass factory, then onto Burano where we went to a lace factory. Next to Torcello where we visited the church (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta). The last island we visited was St Francesco del Deserto. It is said that in the abbey St Francis of Assisi retired in a mystical contemplation. In 2020 I went to the first 3 islands, but not to St Francesco del Deserto as there is no public boat there. 2020 photos -

Murano

Murano

Burano

Burano leaning tower

Devil's Bridge, Torcello

Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello

My next blog is on Lido di Jesolo, where I have been three times over almost 60 years.

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