Torre del filosofo

The senses tell Torre del Filosofo

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An ever-changing panorama

The area of Torre del Filosofo is the best place to observe the Etna summit craters. However, it is a place of continuous eruptions, especially during the last 20 years, and their shape and profile are constantly changing. Take a good look at them and perhaps even take a photograph, because next time they will not be the same!

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The warmth of the volcano

Sitting on the cones from 2002-03, located in the Torre del Filosofo area, though more than 15 years have passed since the eruption, you can still feel a warmth coming from the ground. This is caused by the gases of the cooling magma down below, which still maintains temperatures of around 40-50°C.

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A cloud of sulphur

In the Torre del Filosofo area, on days when the wind blows from the north-west, it is easy to be enveloped in the cloud of gas that descends along the flanks of the summit craters. It is an acrid smell, in which it is easy to recognise the smell of rotten egg typical of the presence of sulphur. Cover your mouth with a damp cloth if you stay for long periods, it will help you to breathe!

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The rumble of the volcano

When arriving in this area in a period of eruptions or explosions from the summit craters, you can distinctly hear the explosions every 5-10 minutes.

The senses tell The Etna viewpoint

The Elliptical, the first great volcano of Etna

The senses tell Acicastello and Acitrezza

The first Etnean volcanic events between Aci Castello and Aci Trezza

Volcanic monitoring and eruption forecasting

Etna: a marvellous group of microclimates and vegetation

Acireale and reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake

The senses tell Acireale

The senses tell Val Calanna

Malavoglia

Empedocles and his passion for Etna

A fauna context yet to be discovered

Etna, the living mountain

Lachea Island and the Aci Trezza Stacks

Etna, wine terroir of excellence

The “notches” of snow

Humankind and the volcano: how should we behave? Volcanic risk

The Etna viewpoint

Etna, an ever-changing natural laboratory

Why did Etna form in that specific geographical position?

The eruption of 1928 that destroyed the town of Mascali

The Jaci river

Val Calanna, the first step towards a single large volcanic structure

An ever-evolving volcano

The fault system of the “Timpe” of Acireale

The continuous evolution of the Etna summit craters

The senses tell Valle del Leone

The 1669 eruption in Catania

The 2001 eruption of Mount Etna, where the approach to volcanoes changed

Valle del Leone and the Elliptical

Summit crater activity between 2011 and 2019

The senses tell The Red Mountains

The earthquake that changed the geography of eastern Sicily in 1693

The senses tell The Summit craters

Torre del Filosofo: at the base of the summit craters (2950 metres)

The senses tell Torre del Filosofo

The different names of the “Muntagna”

The Red Mountains and the destructive eruption of 1669

Acireale and its “timpe”

The Grand Tour in Sicily