L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Continued from page 4 didn't want to reconnect w i t h h e r c h i l d , n o r s h e believed he had recognized her. But Efestus knew well w h o s h e w a s a n d s o u g h t revenge: he created a magi- c a l t h r o n e , f r o m w h i c h Hera would no longer be able to stand. To have the spell broken, the powerful g o d d e s s h a d t o p r o m i s e Aphrodite, the goddess of B e a u t y , i n m a r r i a g e t o Efestus, and allow him to return to live among the gods. But the relationship b e t w e e n A p h r o d i t e a n d Efestus wasn't a happy one, so much so that the latter d e c i d e d t o l e a v e M o u n t O l y m p u s f o r g o o d , a n d make Mount Etna his own home. Within it, Efestus, god of fire and metalworks and personal blacksmith to the olympian gods, created h i s o w n w o r k s h o p . T h e Greeks also believed that the Cyclops, those giant beings with one single eye in the middle of their fore- head that most of us know f r o m t h e a d v e n t u r e s o f Ulysses, used to forge the deadly lightning bolts used b y Z e u s . F o r t h e A n c i e n t G r e e k s , M o u n t E t n a a l s o had a deep connection with the Otherworld, which they c a l l e d T a r t a r u s a n d believed was hidden under- neath it. Another ancient popular legend associated with our Mongibeddo is the of Ence- ladus, the giant who want- ed to take Zeus' place. With the help of other giants, he built a ladder to reach the summit of Mount Olympus and fight against the god of gods who was, however, well aware of the conspiracy: he hit him with one of his thun- derbolts and hurled him to t h e g r o u n d , w h e r e h e remained imprisoned under - y o u g u e s s e d i t - M o u n t Etna. Enceladus was pretty a n g r y a n d b e g a n s p i t t i n g fire and smoke out of the mountain; of course, we still w i t n e s s h i s r a g e e v e r y s o often today, when the vol- cano erupts. Let us leave behind clas- s i c a l m y t h o l o g y a n d t h e Mediterranean to move into t h e M i d d l e A g e s a n d t o Great Britain, where King Arthur lived. When he was a b o u t t o d i e , A r t h u r expressed the wish to have his mythical sword, broken in two during his last duel w i t h h i s o w n s o n , t o b e r e p a i r e d . A n d s o , t h e Archangel Michael magical- l y t r a n s p o r t e d t h e a i l i n g k i n g a n d h i s s w o r d t o M o u n t E t n a , w h e r e t h e sword was reconstructed. Arthur, tired and sick, fell a s l e e p o n t h e m o u n t a i n . W h e n h e w o k e u p , t h e beauty of his surroundings m a d e h i m s p e e c h l e s s , s o much so that he asked God to let him live for longer in such a beautiful place. His w i s h w a s g r a n t e d a n d , thanks to the help of his sis- t e r M o r g a n L e F a y , h e transformed a cave into his home. The legend says that M o u n t E t n a e r u p t s o n l y when Arthur leaves Sicily to bring presents and flowers from the island to British children. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , w e s h o u l d m e n t i o n a n o t h e r l e g e n d t h a t c o n n e c t s t h e l a n d o f A l b i o n t o S i c i l y : some believe that the soul of Queen Elizabeth I rests here, in the belly of Mount Etna, because of a pact she h a d m a d e w i t h t h e D e v i l during her many years of rule, to obtain power and political success. A natural beauty T h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s o f v o l c a n i c a c t i v i t y t r a n s - f o r m e d t h e l a n d s c a p e o n a n d a r o u n d M o u n t E t n a d e e p l y : h e r e , t h e b a r r e n l o o k t y p i c a l o f v o l c a n i c a r e a s g o e s h a n d i n h a n d w i t h t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n shrub. Famous in this sense a r e t h e C r a t e r i S i l - vestri, by many compared to what one could see while w a l k i n g o n t h e M o o n . Ensuring that such a pre- cious and unique environ- ment is preserved and safe- g u a r d e d w a s t h e m a i n reason behind the creation, in 1987, of the Parco Natu- r a l e d e l l ' E t n a , p a r t o f which, we mentioned, lies within the area also protect- ed by UNESCO. The Park i n c l u d e s t h e v o l c a n i c d e p r e s s i o n k n o w n a s the Valle del Bove, a large area located on the eastern face of the mountain, whose walls reach 1,000 meters in h e i g h t ( 3 , 2 8 0 f t ) . T h e breathtaking Grotta del Gelo is another incredible natural feat, a volcanic cavi- ty that, in time, became a glacier. Both the volcano and the park are popular tourist destinations, ideal f o r p e o p l e w h o l o v e trekking, but also for those with an interest in science and geology. In winter, you can even ski here, making Mount Etna a destination for all seasons. For Sicilians, Mount Etna i s m o r e t h a n a v o l c a n o , more than a regional icon: it is a symbol of what the region is, a mix of beauty, mystery, and unpredictabil- ity, a mother who can be at o n c e l o v i n g a n d h a r s h . Mount Etna is the essence of the island, the eyes of its millennial history, its link with the netherworld, its connection with the unseen. This is why, despite being a dangerous, fiery giant, the people of Sicily could not live without it. Mount Etna, UNESCO writes, is "renowned for its exceptional level of volcanic activity, and the documentation of its activity over at least 2,700 years:" this makes it the volcano with the longest documented records of historical volcanism Taormina's ancient theater and Mount Etna (Photo: Angelo Cordeschi/Dreamstime) A souvenir vendor on Mount Etna (Photo: Lenise Calleja/Dreamstime)

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