Mother Nature

Sunshine filters through sky-high ancient pines. Shadows dance on the blanket of leaves below. The air is fresh and cool. There is a backwash of green, blue and brown hues, and in the distance - steeped in ash from eons before - stands a smoking peak.

I inhale and pause for a moment. This is special. This is really special.

All photos by Jason Di-Candilo @billthebadger

Born some 300,000 years ago, this beauty – the tallest active volcano in Europe, otherwise known as Etna – stands 3329m above sea level, with pride, with stealth, with honour.

She is powerful and she has a story to tell. She is the ‘mountain of the mountain’ as her name translates; a source of food, renewal and spiritual guidance for the Sicilians who speak of her with fondness and respect.

Standing in her presence, I can’t help but feel abundantly insignificant in the spectacle that is Mother Nature and there is real grace in that.

Walking in the heat, focused on not losing my footing on the unsteady volcanic rock below, our guide Ezio recalls his first eruption. “I was three-year-old and I was with my dad and our friend’s dog. The dog began to act oddly. He reacted before we knew what was happening, which signalled us to take cover.” This is one of many memories Ezio shares.

With the Africa and Europe tectonic plates continually clashing below the earth’s surface, earthquakes are frequent in Sicily, as are eruptions.

We walk some further and stop to marvel at the picture before us. The pines, which were so lush and green and alive some several hundred metres back, stand here bare. Skeleton outlines. Ghosts from the past. The soil is pitch black and there is no sign of life. 

We stare at the silhouette portrait. The deserted expanse. The empty space.

For the past five years, Ezio has been guiding scores of people up the slopes of the unbridled volcano, educating tourists and locals alike on the place he calls home.

“Etna is part of me. She is a huge part of my life and sharing her with people just makes sense,” he explained.