Walking into Bove Valley on Mount Etna
by RicardMN Photography
Title
Walking into Bove Valley on Mount Etna
Artist
RicardMN Photography
Medium
Photograph
Description
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Catania, between Messina and Catania.
Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity.
One of the most evocative places to admire on Mount Etna is the famous Bove Valley. You can observe the valley from various spots which can be reached by car, if you want to admire the lower part of the valley, o by doing some trekking through the "sentieri natura" (nature paths) that allow you to reach panoramic spots near the upper part of the Valley (such as the monte Zoccolaro and the Schiena dell'Asino). From these spots you can enjoy a breathtaking view that includes the whole Bove Valley and the coast from Taormina to Siracusa, and on the other side you can see the top of the volcano.
The Bove Valley covers nearly entirely the eastern side of the volcano Etna. The rock faces of the valley have an altitude that goes from 400 meters up to 1000 meters, and the whole perimeter of the valley is 18 kilometers long. All the lava rivers originated on the eastern side of the volcano flow inside this valley of such great dimensions. In fact the valley is completely covered in lava and the vegetation is nearly completely absent (volcanic desert).
Amongst the theories about the creation of the valley the most widely accepted by the scientists is the one that states that the valley was formed as a consequence of the collapse of the Trifoglietto, one of the volcanic buildings of etna, about 64.000 years ago.
The first known record of eruption at Etna is that of Diodorus Siculus.
The Roman poet Virgil gave what was probably a first-hand description of an eruption in the Aeneid:
"A spreading bay is there, impregnable
To all invading storms; and Aetna's throat
With roar of frightful ruin thunders nigh.
Now to the realm of light it lifts a cloud
Of pitch-black, whirling smoke, and fiery dust,
Shooting out globes of flame, with monster tongues
That lick the stars; now huge crags of itself,
Out of the bowels of the mountain torn,
Its maw disgorges, while the molten rock
Rolls screaming skyward; from the nether deep
The fathomless abyss makes ebb and flow".
Uploaded
December 23rd, 2015
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