The wild Etna

The last few days have been varied. We set off from the parking spot in Syracuse to drive towards Etna. Anita said that I should check the air in the rear tire again, as the car goes from 0 to 2000 meters above sea level. The air was OK, but the valve was apparently defective, as air hissed out every time it was touched. Hmm, not again, I thought - this damn tire. And it was 11:00 on a Saturday.

Unlike when we left Austria, we immediately found a repair shop that took us on after a short time.

While we were waiting, we noticed that Sicilian tire repair shops are very busy. Mopeds, cars, ... one after the other came in with all sorts of ailments. Everyone was helped professionally and we were happy to pay the €20.

The mechanic also pointed out to us that the valves installed were too weak for the motorhome and installed a truck valve.

We also had Julius trained straight away so that we wouldn’t need a workshop in the future 😉.

It was practical that the workshop was on the way to the Archimedes Technopark, which we wanted to visit anyway. A small but very nice exhibition and experiment park for young and old with inventions by the famous mathematician Archimedes, who lived in Syracuse and helped defend the city against the Romans. Julius was particularly fond of this.

Since our next campsite was at 1400 meters without any major infrastructure, we also had to buy some things for the next few days. Konstantin got hold of some special shoes there that he had wanted for a long time. At 3:00 p.m. we were ready to set off for Etna.

The trip went well. The roads up to the southern flank of Mount Etna are well developed, the area is very green and tidy. You almost don't believe you are in Sicily anymore 😉.

The campsite itself is in a magnificent location at the foot of the highest volcanic cone with a great view up and down into the valley. The temperatures are very pleasant, with around 15° at night and around 25° during the day.

And since we're already that far, we thought, we should of course go straight up to the summit. So we booked a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide the next day. The prices for the cable car and truck ride up to 2800 meters are quite steep. But the tour itself is very cheap at €17. So the end result is €95 per adult and around €70 per child.

But this investment was worth every cent. Since Etna is currently more active again, you can constantly hear thunder and rumbling and clouds of smoke rise up. The landscape itself is spectacular - just like you would imagine on the moon - and our very good mountain guide took her time and explained many volcanological terms and conditions during the hike.

Since the volcanic rock is, depending on the type, not really suitable for walking in flip-flops, everyone was equipped with trekking shoes, helmets and, if they wanted, walking sticks.

A few Korean "influencers" drove up in a very extravagant manner and shot their videos there - it felt a bit like "Lost in Translation". On the way down, they were just as exhausted and disheveled as everyone else.

And when we thought that this amazing experience couldn't be topped, Konstantin shouted, as we were already falling asleep in the motorhome, that the volcano was spewing fire! And indeed, you could hear explosions all night long and orange-yellow firework-like ejections were thrown tens of meters into the air.