Valle del Leone

The senses tell Valle del Leone

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Dizzying panorama

From an altitude of 2900 metres, in the upper part of the Valle del Leone, the panorama is one of the most evocative in all of Sicily.
In fact, on clear days it is possible to see the whole northern coast of Sicily, the Aeolian Islands and, if you are lucky, all the mountain ranges of the Peloritani, the Nebrodi, the Madonie, and Palermo. A meditative landscape.

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The smell of the volcano leone

It is not uncommon for the wind to blow from the summit craters to the Valle del Leone, carrying with it gases from the summit craters. Without spending too much time in the gas cloud, you can experience the classic smell given off by a volcano.

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Volcanic glass leone

The soil in the Valle del Leone consists of ash and lapilli emitted during Etna’s recent activity. Though soft, this sand is highly abrasive, since it is formed of sharp volcanic glass.

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Wind, explosions and nothing else leone

This is one of the quietest places Sicily has to offer. In fact, the high altitude does not allow for much fauna, so what you hear is just the sound of the wind, often harsh, and the explosions of the nearby north-eastern crater.

The 1669 eruption in Catania

The senses tell The Summit craters

Volcanic monitoring and eruption forecasting

The Grand Tour in Sicily

Summit crater activity between 2011 and 2019

Etna: a marvellous group of microclimates and vegetation

The Elliptical, the first great volcano of Etna

The senses tell Acireale

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

Acireale and reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake

The senses tell Val Calanna

The first Etnean volcanic events between Aci Castello and Aci Trezza

The earthquake that changed the geography of eastern Sicily in 1693

Empedocles and his passion for Etna

Why did Etna form in that specific geographical position?

The senses tell The Etna viewpoint

The senses tell Torre del Filosofo

Acireale and its “timpe”

Lachea Island and the Aci Trezza Stacks

Etna, wine terroir of excellence

A fauna context yet to be discovered

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

The senses tell Valle del Leone

Etna, the living mountain

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The Etna viewpoint

The “notches” of snow

The Jaci river

The eruption of 1928 that destroyed the town of Mascali

The different names of the “Muntagna”

Valle del Leone and the Elliptical

The fault system of the “Timpe” of Acireale

The senses tell Acicastello and Acitrezza

The senses tell The Red Mountains

The Red Mountains and the destructive eruption of 1669

The continuous evolution of the Etna summit craters

Etna, an ever-changing natural laboratory

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

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

An ever-evolving volcano