Climb a live volcano

some goals are just not worth the space. this is not going to happen in the near future, nor do i really care about it. this is filler.

OK, so Vesuvius hasn’t erupted since 1944… it’s still an active volcano! I climbed it in July after walking the Pompeii ruins. Loved the whole experience: the views, the sunburn, the red dirt that coated my trainers afterwards, the overpriced ice cream at the top. Well worth doing, and a great accompaniment to any visit to Pompeii.

As for Etna: much scarier, and much more likely to erupt at any moment :) I have rellies in Reggio di Calabria (in Italy’s toe) and they frequently find their white plastic garden furniture coated in black, sandy ash courtesy of Etna all the way across the Strait of Messina. It erupted four years ago while we slept in Reggio, I remember watching the news footage over brekky…

in Siciliy is not only very active (it is errupting right now, in fact), it is also Europe’s highest volcano and so sounds the perfect challenge. From brief internet research (read:lazy) it seems that there are lots of touristy trips available and a whole host of charities organising trekking expeditions to Mount Etna to raise money. I’d prefer to go independently though and there seems to be a spate of cheap flights to Palermo – so a long weekend may be booked soon, before it gets too cold.

I had the opportunity to do this a few years ago and then was cruelly denied the chance at the last minute. Which is why I would like to over come this challenge. Now it’s just finding out where I can do this.