The whole province of Catania is dominated by Etna. The most majestic active volcano in Europe, Unesco World Heritage Site since 2013. The lava of Etna is present just about everywhere in the city and the towns, in cliffs and hills, the color of lava is dominant and even the local produce takes on this color. Living with the Volcano is now almost part of the genetic make-up of the people of this territory. Etna was formed about 500,000 years ago. The scientific explanation of its birth is directly connected to the phenomenon of continental drift and particularly the colossal clash between the African and Eurasian shelves, the same clash that probably caused the creation of the Alps and Himalayas. The immense impact between the two shelves caused the compression of the magma that was deep below the sea and it came out violently creating Etna. The history of Etna is still fundamentally based on myths and number of eruptions recorded which is certainly much lower than the real number. Several centuries before Christ there are already references to the activity of the Volcano in historical resources. From the end of 1^st century AD onwards more eruptions are documented, about 200 up to the present day. One of the most serious happened in 1669, with strong tremors and explosions which creates Monti Rossi behind Nicolosi on the south slopes and the lava almost completely covered Catania in just 18 days. After this we have other eruptions during all the 19^th century which has formed Monte Gemellaro and the craters of Monti Silvestri. In the 20^th century there have been numerous eruptions some of one year long which destroyed vineyards, the cable car till the most renewed all over Italy on 1992 that was threatening the town of Zafferana. The landscape of the Catania province is greatly influenced by the presence of Etna which occupies a vast area, its circumference at the base is about 250km, numerous towns have grown up on its slopes, the total height of the mountain is 3.400mt (12.500 feet). It is true to say that the life revolves around the foot of the mountain, so much that the towns here are connected by the famous Circumetnea railway, opened at the end of 19^th century. The lava of Etna is particularly fluid (the temperature of the magma is about 1000 °C). The fluidity means that gases escape more easily, reducing the risk of explosions, but it means also speed, the lava flows quickly and can cover great distances in a short time. Overall it can be said that Etna is rather moderate as regards explosions and expulsion of lava and lapilli. This is due to the fact that every day it gives off tones of gases and sulphor dioxide into the air maintaining an acceptable level of internal pressure. Etna has four summit eruptive craters New Crater, Central Crater, South eastern Crater and North Eastern Crater, and numerous lateral craters. The Etna Regional Nature Park was set up in 1987 and covers 60.000 hectares including 20 district councils of the province of Catania.

FLORA AND FAUNA
At sea-level along the coast the vegetation is mostly halophiles, as you begin to climb up starts growing apples, citrus fruits, pears, nuts, pistachios, almonds and naturally grapes. These gradually give way to pinewoods, ilex groves, oak woods and chestnut woods. From 1.500mt to 2000mt the landscape is dominated by beech-trees, aetnesis birches and large fragrant gorse bushes. Above 2000mt you only find extremely hardy plants such as groundsel and mouse-ear chickweed. The fauna is also very interesting. You find porcupines, foxes, wild rabbits, wild cats, hedgehogs, dormice and vipers. The park is populated by both diurnal and nocturnal birds: Golden eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Kestrels, Rock Partridges, Scopes owls, Buzzards, tawny owls.
In the area of an active volcano the layers of volcanic soil undergo continual changes because of volcanic activity. Although the climate is a Mediterranean one, it varies according to the altitude, conditioning the type of plant life.

CAVES ON ETNA
One aspect of the volcano Etna that should not be forgotten is the presence of numerous cavities that exist all over its slopes, the only volcanic caves in the whole of continental Europe. They are formed along with the rock that contains them, during the lava flows of a volcanic eruption. Consequently it takes a relatively short time for them to form, a period of one week to a few months. We find two principal types of volcanic caves: lava tunnels (or lava flow tunnels) and caves in fracture. Lava tunnels are what remains of channels, now solidified, through which the lava flowed internally and which later emptied because of drainage or because of erosion of the bottom. They conserve an interesting morphology such as: sections of varying geometry, stalactites on the roof, lateral curling rolls formed by the rapid drainage of the lava flow, shelves and shills sticking out from the walls formed by a sudden slowing down of the lava flow. There are more than 200 volcanic caves on Etna today and new ones are continually discovered, mapped and registered. Certainly the most famous cave on Etna is the Gelo Cave, situated at an altitude of 2.043mt and contains spectacular glacier that is present all year long.

THE ALCANTARA RIVER
The Alcantara River is just under 50km long in all and marks part of the border between the provinces of Catania and Messina. The river rises in the Nebrodi mountains near Floresta and flows into the sea near Taormina, crossing the territory of 15 districts in the two provinces. The Greeks are said to have called it “Akesine”, “healing river”, but some claim that Akesine corresponds in reality to the Fiumefreddo River. The Romans area said to have called it “onabala” but some believe this was the name of a torrent. Indeed the Arabs, who always changed names of the places they conquered according to the characteristics of the place, called the river “Al Qantarah” which means bridge. The origin of the walls of the Gorge is clearly linked to a volcanic eruption of long ago, from Monte Mojo the most unpredictable secondary crater on Etna. The flow was made up of basic lava, more fluid than acidic lava and slower to solidify. It flowed along the Alcantara, blocking the river and reached the sea where it created the small peninsula of capo Schisò. The peculiarity of the Gorges is due to the fact that water erosion over the centuries has revealed the internal conformation of the thick basalt walls. They have a column structure with hexagonal and pentagonal prisms that are mostly perpendicular to the height of the walls. This geological phenomenon is determined by the cooling of the lava, which begins externally and gradually reaches the interior. The Alcantara Gorge is one of the most spectacular examples of this phenomenon in Europe.

ETNA IN ANCIENT TIMES
The oldest human settlements on Etna can be traced back to the Neolithic period (6^th-3^rd millennium BC) when man developed his knowledge of the production of tools for deforesting, tilling and farming the fertile lands. Certainly apart from building villages of huts they also took advantage of the numerous caves created by lava flows which offered safe, warm and comfortable shelter. There is very little archaeological material available to allow the formulation of hypotheses about these early phases of life on Etna, also because of the continuous disastrous events that have frequently changed the landscape.
The native and Greek settlements on the slopes of Etna can be dated to much more recent times, between the 9^th and 6^th centuries BC. Near Paternò, in the district of Pietralunga on a bend of the River Simeto, a village of oval huts was built and the objects found date back to the 9^th century BC. Adrano is also the site of one of the most important Greek settlements of the whole Etna area, and that is Adranon, dedicated to the god of the volcano that cast its huge shadow across the town and surrounding area. The arrival of the Greeks on the slopes of Etna modified the landscape profoundly, the trees of the forest were used to build houses and ships, the sides of the mountain were dug to create terraces for planting vines, large blocks of lava were hewn and cut in order to construct formidable walls to defend city, river beds were used to transport stones, trees and agricultural produce. For the ancient Greeks the eruptions of Etna were attributed to the monster Tifeo or the giant Encelado, imprisoned by Zeus under the volcano. In some texts Etna is described as the workshop of Efesto-Vulcan. The devastating fury of Etna is also referred to in the classical legend of the Pii Brothers who saved their elderly parents from the advancing lava.