A dedicated group of tourists (Christine, Andrea, Frank, a
reluctant Gustav, and me) met at 8:30 am, with the plan of going as high as we
could on Etna. Now, we are here at 1,900 m elevation, and Etna is 3,247 m high,
so we were not thinking on doing something crazy like hiking all the way to the
top. Rather, more appropriate to our level of fitness, we took the funicular up
to 2,500 m elevation, and then a Unimog ride to 2,900 m elevation. From that
point the volcano still looked like an impossibly tall and steep mountain, so
we opted for the more sensible option of walking around the vents of the 2002
eruption, at a maximum elevation of 3,000 m.
The station where the Unimog dropped us off is at the edge
of the March and April 2017 lava flow, a very thick and extensive lava flow
that issued fairly high in the mountain and then parted as it hit the 2002
cinder cones. It is amazing to think that in a couple of months the mountain
completely modified its topography, and that this happened less than six months
ago!
The 2002 eruption started as a fissure eruption, no doubt
with some spectacular “fire” curtains, but eventually focused in five vents
aligned along the extent of the fissure. The vents are locally known as “La
Buttoniere” because they resemble the line of buttons on a shirt. They are
pretty impressive deep vents, and by just digging a few centimeters one can
feel the steam rising through the tephra. Gustav was hanging behind, enjoying
the volcano by himself, so he was just starting the climb when we were on the
way down. His “backpack” was a paper bag, bright red and with the logo of the
family business, where he had his sunshades and some candy. When he got to the
edge of the craters he looked for a nice rock to sit on and relax when, puff, a
gust of wind blew the bag over the edge of the crater and down and down it went
until it landed near one of the vents. Now, for years and years, tourists from
all over the world will be able to see this bright red paper bag down in one of
the great wonders of nature, and will shake their heads in disbelief at the way
German tourists just throw trash around, oblivious to the importance of keeping
our Mother Earth clean.
Joking aside, being so high in the mountain we got some
fabulous views of the three peaks that form the summit, from which issues a
steady column of steam. It is a harsh world, with very little vegetation, but
its raw beauty is mesmerizing.
On the way back we decided to give the Unimog a pass (the
tremendous power of these trucks looses its charm very fast), and enjoyed a
very nice walk down the slope of the mountain to the point where we had to
catch the funicular to get down to the level where our hotel is located.
Boris and Catherine had to go back home today, so we sat in
the terrace for a last beer and lots of laughter. Ida, their daughter said
goodbye yesterday because she spent the night at a friend who was having a
birthday party. Boris and Catherine are a wonderful couple, gregarious and full
of good humor, so we were a bit sad of seeing them go. But Etna is pretty
regular in its eruptions, so maybe next time there is a good show of volcanic
activity we will get the group together again.
As a last gift to us, Boris called one of his friends at a
local winery (he seems to know everyone in Sicily and everybody knows him), and in a
very colloquial Italian he recommended us to his attention. I should add that
Boris is an amazing linguist, who can shift from German to Italian to French to
English to Spanish with the greatest ease. So off they went back to Catania , and off we went
toward Linguaglossa to taste the Vino della Etna.
The Gambino winery is built on a slope, with wide terraces
cut in the hard basaltic rocks. After that heavy part of the work was completed
they brought soil from different parts of Etna “to add complexity” to the
grapes. Curiously for such a high tech effort, they did not add an irrigation
system, as if that were an insult to the art of the wine maker, who every year
has to contend with different water budgets and quality of the grapes.
We were received in grand style, by the grandfather who
originally took the decision to move from bulk vino di tavola to smaller quantities of quality wine, by one of the
two brothers who runs the winery, and a young man who in perfect English introduced
us to the history of the place. It turns out that Sicily had a tradition of wine making, but
it was somehow lost after World War I, when everybody had to scramble to wrest
a living out of their rocky land. This opened the opportunity for Signor
Gambino to plan and execute his winery project on a comparatively small plot of
land (though they mentioned a second area in the center of the island where
they perhaps have a larger plot).
We were then escorted to see the processing plant by the
Gambino brother who had greeted us earlier. Gustav made his best to annoy him,
by talking over him and suggesting alternative ways to operate the process,
until mercifully we were escorted back to the main room, to enjoy the process
of having a light lunch and tasting the different types of white, rose, and red
wine on offer. It was a delicious afternoon, with a breeze cooling the room,
good food, and wines that were being offered with lots of explanations about
their bouquets and body characteristics. A perfect Sicilian moment!
And on this high note I will put an end to this telling of
my summer trip. I have ahead of me three days of travel before I can reach the
house of my parents in Monclova ,
but most of it will be about jumping from one flight to the other, which is of
little interest. It has been a fabulous trip, with many new memories made with
friends, new and old. A rivediamo!
Finis
OK, so here is a brief note to let you know that after
nearly 18 hours of flying I finally made it to Monclova , where I will spend a week visiting
my parents.
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