The image is a “looking down, from space”, google-view of Mt Etna and its eastern Sicilian surrounds, in summertime…no snow.
Marked thereon are most of the human settlements relevant to the “Aspects of Etna” series-proper.
I’ve added two red splodges.
The one on Etna’s southern side shows the approximate location of Rifugio Giovanni Sapienza, where the road-proper goes no higher.
From there, Etna’s cable cars climb up to 2,500 metres ASL.
(as you will see, eventually, we were then able to go a deal higher than 2,500 ASL, but Etna’s summit zone was still off-limits. Not many weeks earlier, an eruption had “shut down” the cable-way & volcano-access in general…and Sicily’s main airport, on the plain, far below)
The northern splodge is the approximate location of Motta Camastra.
Musical bonus
It is “irrelevant” to Etna, although its 79-year-old English composer, bandleader and virtuoso of various reeds is somewhat of a “man mountain”.
John Surman is still (I think) the world’s most eloquent living exponent of the baritone saxophone.
He has very few peers on bass clarinet and soprano sax.
His new album will be released on February 16, but you can already enjoy its sublime title piece:
Surman’s colleagues are British guitarist Rob Luft, Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen and US vibraphonist Rob Waring. (Waring and Surman have both long been residents of Oslo)
The series-proper resumes tomorrow…on the big volcano’s lower southern flanks, just above Catania’s sprawl.
Sicily’s “second” city is the primary “driver” of the island’s economy; Etna has always been Catania’s great “blessing” and great “curse”.