Story
The story of Mount Etna
The ancient Greeks believed the monster Typhon lay trapped beneath this mountain by Zeus, and that the forge of Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, burned below. Medieval storytellers went further and placed King Arthur's underground kingdom inside Etna. It is easy to see why.
Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, almost constantly at work, and the tallest peak in Italy south of the Alps, measured in September 2024 at 3,403 metres, though its height changes with summit eruptions. It covers 1,190 square kilometres, by far the largest of Italy's four active volcanoes. Its name may come from a Greek word meaning to burn, while the Arabs called it the Mountain of Fire, and Sicilians still call it Mongibello.
Yet the eruptions also give life: the fertile volcanic soil feeds vineyards and orchards across the lower slopes and the plain of Catania. The United Nations named it a Decade Volcano, and in June 2013 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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