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Proposal: Info Center at Mt. Etna, Italy


Well informed volcano visitors live safer and do not cause trouble to local authorities.
Mt. Etna, Sicily, Italy

Erution at Etna

Beautifull to look at, but dangerous when not correctly informed
Italy

The highest volcano in Europe and one of the most active volcanoes in the world, is classified as a gentle giant with mostly effusive eruptions. This is more or less true today, but a gentle giant can also be dangerous, whenever volcano visitors stick their nose into its throat.

Info Center at Sapiensa, Etna:

1. Tourist Infomation center
1.1. Region Catania and Sicily
1.2. Visits and trekking at Etna
1.3. Danger, risks and regulations at Etna
2. Local organisations
2.1. Etna transport and guided tours
2.2. National Parc authorities and regulations
2.3. First aid and rescue center
3. Volcano museum
3.1. Multimedia volcanism
3.2. Multimedia Mt. Etna
Abstract:

The stratovolcano Etna is 3350 meter high and with no doubt an alpine region with hardest wether conditions even in the summer mounth. The historical eruptions have been mostly gentel and predictable, though Etna is one of the best monitored volcano world wide.
Mt. Etna has attracted many visitors and volcano enthusiastics with its spectacular eruptions specially during the last years. This is understandable and good for the tourist region of Catania, but also problems have appeared with this volcano tourism. The eccidents of 1979, 1987 and 2001 show, that whenever visitors get close to the eruption sites of Mt. Etna, fatal consequences are easy to come. Also at the volcano Stromboli accidents are known such as in 2001 (see: www.educeth.ch/stromboli/accidents/exp101-de.html).
Therefor, the more information we can provide to volcano tourists, the better is the effect on controlled excursion and safe experiences of one of the most interesting natural phenomena - an active volcano.

Introduction:

In November 2002, a new volcanic museum has opened at the town of Nicolosi, the so called "south gate of Etna" at an altitude of 700 meter. This information center about Mt. Etna is very well done. Scientific background, many pictures of the last big eruptions and a video show are provided. But most visitors get in contact with the upper parts of Etna at Sapiensa, a touristic refugio at an altitude of 1900 meter on the south flanc of the volcano. Whoever starts at this point hiking individual towards the summit should be well informed concerning risks and danger at Etna. This information center (or post)at Sapiensa, as well as at Etna north, is, what we are looking for. Two verry well designed info center offering most of the aspects at an active volcanoes are to be found at Hawaii and at Piton de la Fournaise (Réunion). Those could be good examples for a concept study at Etna.

To take part, we would like to invite: Azienda Autonomia di Soggiorno e Turismo, INGV, Parco dell'Etna, A.G.A.I. (mountain guide association), Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna sud, Funivia dell'Etna S.p.A., guardia di finanza (sec. alpine), protezione civile, corpo forestral (forestry rangers),
Andrea Mazzaglia (volcano guide) is our local manager for communication and coordination, andrea Ercolani is touroperator and guide at Etna, Marc Szeglat from Tierrascience can provide multimedia about volcanoes and the doctoral thesis by Ariane Struck about volcano tourism at Etna, shows the first time done and very helpful statistic soon.

Doctoral thesis about volcano tourism (subject Etna), by Ariane Struck
http://www.Vulkan-Tourismus.de
This page is edited only in german language!
German guided Excursions on Mt. Etna!
The Etna specialist Andrea Ercolani with his company http://www.siciltrek.ch
offer any Etna excursion (als well Itlay-Programs) you are lokking for. His is found most of the year at the volcano.

Volcano Expeditions International (by Chris Weber) organize some "all inclusive packages" per year at Mt. Etna. For those and other volcano excursion around the world look at http://www.V-E-I.de
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