Mount Etna, Active stratovolcano in Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna is a stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, in the Metropolitan City of Catania. Its current height is 3,403 m (September 2024), measured after the summer 2024 paroxysms raised the Voragine crater above the Southeast Crater, which had reached 3,357 m in 2021. The cone carries five summit craters and more than 300 flank vents.
Records of an eruption date back to 1500 BCE, when explosive activity drove people from the eastern coast inland. Repeated eruptions over the centuries shaped settlement patterns and the economic development of the surrounding region.
Farming communities work the slopes in small plots, growing grapes, fruit trees, and pistachio groves on terraces that follow the contours of the mountain. Families sell their produce at roadside stands and village markets, linking daily life to the rhythm of eruptions and ash deposits that enrich the soil.
A cable car system from Rifugio Sapienza carries visitors to higher elevations, while the northern slopes open for skiing in winter. Weather shifts and volcanic activity can close access to certain areas on short notice, so checking local updates before heading up helps avoid surprises.
The summit's height is measured anew after major eruptions: the Southeast Crater reached 3,357 m on 25 July 2021, then the Voragine surpassed it after the 4 July 2024 paroxysm, and by 15 August 2024 the peak stood at 3,403 m according to INGV surveys published on 17 September 2024.
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