17th September

Augusta

Augusta, lies on a long sandy island off the southeast coast between the Golfo (gulf) di Augusta and the Ionian Sea and is connected by two bridges with the mainland. The town was founded near the site of the ancient Dorian town of Megara Hyblaea in 1232 by Emperor Frederick II for the rebellious people of Centuripe and Montalbano, towns that were destroyed because of their disaffection. Frederick called it Augusta Veneranda, and it became one of his favourite resorts. The town was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693. It was chosen by the Knights of Malta to be a supply repository at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1861 Augusta (also spelled Agosta) became part of the Kingdom of Italy. In World War II it was one of the ports of disembarkation of the Anglo-American forces for the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. Notable landmarks include the Swabian castle , the cathedral (1769), and the Palazzo Comunale (1699).

18th September

INGV and Catania

How do we study Volcanoes and Volcanism?

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Italian: Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia, INGV) is a research institute for geophysics and volcanology in Italy.

INGV is funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research. Its main responsibilities within the Italian civil protection system are the maintenance and monitoring of the national networks for seismic and volcanic phenomena, together with outreach and educational activities for the Italian population. The institute employs around 1000 people distributed between the headquarters in Rome and the other sections in Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Naples, Catania and Palermo. INGV is amongst the top 20 research institutions in terms of scientific publications production. It participates and coordinates several EU research projects and organizes international scientific meetings in collaboration with other institutions.

walking around Catania

How is it possible to live so close to an active Volcano?

Catania, The city was founded in 729 BC by Chalcidians (settlers from Chalcis in the Greek island of Euboea) from Naxos, 50 miles (80 km) north. It acquired importance in the 5th century BC with Hieron I, tyrant of Syracuse, and his son Deinomenes, who conquered it and renamed it Aetna after the volcano. The inhabitants restored the old name after driving out Deinomenes’ followers.During the century it was conquered several times by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans, the Aragonese, only to name some. During the 16th and 17th centuries the city was afflicted by civil disorders, pirate incursions, epidemics, famines, and natural disasters, including an eruption of Etna in 1669 and an earthquake in 1693.

Piazza Duomo-On the north side there is the palace of the Elephants, that is, the Town Hall. On the other side of the square are the Amenano fountain, inside which coins are thrown and, next to it, the Palazzo dei Chierici which is connected to the Duomo by a passage that runs on the Uzeda gate. From the terraces you can admire two splendid panoramas: on one side, the spectacle of Piazza del Duomo in Catania with the Elephant fountain and via Etnea with Mount Etna in the background; on the other, the walls of Charles V, the port of Catania with the arches of the Marina up to the Ursino castle. The door of Charles V is part of the only remaining part of the city walls. At the center of the square is what is the symbol of Catania, a lava stone statue depicting an elephant, topped with an obelisk, placed in the center of a marble fountain that has been remodeled several times.

19th September

Eolian Island

Are Aeolian Volcanoes similar to Mnt Etna ?

"I think this day was one of the most beautiful, but above all one of the most tiring. We woke up at 5.00 AM to be able to get to Milazzo (which is about two hours from Augusta) to take the hydrofoil and arrive at Vulcano at around 9.00 AM. In particular, we know that the Aeolian archipelago has a volcanic origin and is made up of seven islands: Lipari, Stromboli, Vulcano, Salina, Panarea, Alicudi, Filicudi. We only visited Vulcano and Lipari, unfortunately Stromboli (having the active volcano) was in one of the most active periods of the year. The first island visited was Vulcano, we got to the top. It was really tough, but it was worth it. We stopped every ten minutes as we needed to rest and then a guide showed us the main features.This is the crater of the volcano. Once we got here, we stopped to take pictures and catch our breath.I think the funniest part was the descent as we descended very quickly thanks to the "mountains" of cold lava. Some of us fell, without getting hurt, and all of our shoes were full of lava.After we got off, we changed (wearing a swimsuit) and got on a boat that took us for a swim. After that we went to Lipari.Around 8 in the evening we took the ferry and the sea was really rough. Once in Milazzo we took the bus. We arrived in Augusta at midnight and everyone returned home with their twin". ( Report from one of our Student )

20th September

Syracuse

Learning about the Greek, the Romans, the Byzantine, The Arab, the Normans, and the Spanish

"The awakening of the following morning was very heavy. At 9 we went to school and worked in a group. At 14 we got together and we took the bus leaving for Syracuse. The first stop was Dionysus' ear. It is a cave that was used by the Greeks as a prison. Its peculiarity is that the sounds coming from its interior are greatly amplified. In the same archaeological site we also saw the ruins of the ancient city of Syracuse.Later we saw the Greek theater, which in the summer hosts the tragedies of the greatest Greek playwrights. In the late afternoon we walked around the island of Ortigia, stopping to look at the Fonte Aretusa. Around eight in the evening we took the bus that brought us back home. The most beautiful part of the day was when after having dined in our own houses, we gathered at Lorenzo's house and sang, danced and played table football."( Report from one of our Student )

21st September

Alcantara Gorge

What are the effects of Lava ?

The Alcantara Gorges, also called Larderia Gorges, are located in the Alcantara Valley in Sicily where the Peloritani mountain range ends between the municipalities of Castiglione di Sicilia and Motta Camastra. They are gorges up to 25 meters high and 2 meters narrower and 4 5 meters wider. The natural canyon, unlike what is commonly thought, has not been excavated over thousands of years by water.The Alcantara river flows between lava stone which forms its characteristic riverbed. On the territory of Motta Camastra in Fondaco Motta there is the most imposing and famous gorge of Alcantara, more than 6 km long and easily passable for the first 3.The peculiarity of this gorge consists in the structure of the walls, created by basaltic lava flows (poor in silicon but rich in iron, magnesium and calcium). The lava then cooled very quickly creating pentagonal and hexagonal prismatic forms, which recall the molecular structure of the materials that constitute it.

Taormina

Taormina is an Italian town of 10,863 inhabitants located in the metropolitan city of Messina, in Sicily. It is one of the most important international tourist centers in the Sicilian region, known for its natural landscape, marine beauties and its historical monuments and has been an important destination of the Grand Tour. Taormina has been one of the main tourist attractions since the 19th century in Europe.It is located on a hill 206 m above sea level, suspended between rocks and sea, on a terrace of Mount Tauro , in a scenario of natural beauty, unique in its variety and contrasts, on the southern slopes of the Peloritani mountains of the Ionian Riviera with Etna in the background. The ancient Greek Roman theater of Taormina is the second largest theater in size in Sicily after the Greek theater of Syracuse The theater of Taormina would have a Hellenistic origin on the basis of the few archaeological documents it could be of the III century BC but it is totally Roman in its visible aspect today.It is dug out of the rock and the scene has as its backdrop the Ionian Sea and Etna. It has a maximum diameter of about 109 meters and a height of about 20 meters.

23rd September

Etna

What are the main characteristics of Mnt. Etna ?

Etna or Mongibello is the highest terrestrial active volcano of the Eurasian plate, with a height of 3326. Its frequent eruptions throughout history have changed, sometimes even profoundly, the surrounding landscape, repeatedly threatening populations who have settled around it over the millennia. Etna is an active volcano. Unlike Stromboli, which is in constant activity, and Vesuvius, which alternates periods of quiescence with periods of explosive activity, it always appears to be dominated by a plume of smoke. At fairly close periods it erupts, generally beginning with a period of degassing and emission of volcanic sand which is followed by an emission of fairly fluid lava at the origin. Sometimes there are periods of Strombolian activity that attract crowds of visitors from all over the world because of their spectacular nature. Despite the volcanoes erupting mainly from their top, from one or more summit craters, Etna is characterized by being one of the few volcanoes in the world where it was possible to observe the birth of new summit eruptive vents, formed mainly in the last century. Up to the 2000s, the current volcano consisted essentially of 4 active summit craters: the central crater or Voragine, the Northeast subterminal crater formed in 1911, the Bocca Nuova in 1968 and the Southeast subterminal crater in 1971. In the 1669 the most well-known and destructive eruption took place, which reached and overtook, from the western side, the city of Catania; it destroyed the external part up to the walls, surrounding the Ursino Castle and overcoming it created over a kilometer of new mainland. The eruption was announced by a very strong roar and an earthquake that destroyed the town of Nicolosi and damaged Trecastagni, Pedara, Mascalucia and Gravina. Then a huge fissure opened starting from the summit area and, above Nicolosi, the emission of a huge quantity of lava began. The gigantic lava front advanced inexorably burying Malpasso, Mompilieri, Camporotondo, San Pietro Clarenza, San Giovanni Galermo and Misterbianco as well as smaller villages heading towards the sea. Two pyroclastic cones were formed which are called Monti Rossi, north of Nicolosi. The eruption lasted 122 days and emitted a lava volume of around 950 million cubic meters.

24th September

Farewell dinner

it was a happy, and... tiring week