Volcanoes: In a European Country Near You
Written by Andy Hayes
We’ve all heard about the European trip planning gone awry with the recent eruptions of that-unpronounceable-volcano in Iceland that shut down much of European airspace. But this isn’t the first time Europe has been affected by volcanic activity – and as a matter of fact, we were lucky. Twice, entire populations were wiped off the planet by volcanic activity.
Most of the historically active volcanoes in Europe are centred around Italy and southern Greece. A couple of noteworthy stops that you should consider if you haven’t been already:
Mount Etna – Sicily
Etna is the largest volcano in southern Italy, and it’s been noted often in history, both by the Greeks and the Romans, for it interfered with wars, blew apart villages, and even caused a tsunami that washed away a settlement in Israel!
I’ve recommended Sicily for its overlooked beaches, and fellow blogger Sian has also given a hot Europe travel tip to check out Mount Erice.
Santorini
Santorini is another volcanic hot spot – in fact, this was home to an entire civilization that was wiped out by a massive volcanic eruption back in the 1500-1600s BC. The small island was all that was left, and it remained uninhabited for hundreds of years. Now it’s a pleasant detour and tourism hot spot (and in fact, a great place to go in spring). You can take the volcano cruise – which I’ve just found out about and very curious to try – which will explore some of the geothermal highlights of the area.
Have the volcanoes and their messy ash put you off European travel this summer?
And of course the famous Mount Vesuvius, the one that buried ancient Pompeii! I’ve never been there, but it’s high up on my to-do list. It’s quite ironic how the eruption of a volcano can be such a blessing to archaeology since a lot of the artefacts and architecture was preserved that way.