Unique Sicily

The nature of any island has its own unique features: landscape features, strange plants. In the territory of the Sicilian Parko-del-Etna, there are both. Moreover, its most famous monuments have, if not the whole world, then certainly the all-European significance.

The reserve is more than twenty years old. In its borders - almost 60 hectares of graphite-colored earth. It has a place and dense forests, where the mighty pine trees, beeches and chestnuts grow, and the fields that have been cultivated here since time immemorial. Etna dominates over all this: the mountain-symbol, the source of life and death for all who live in its dangerous proximity. From a distance, it looks very peaceful - it seems that she is dozing, having poured a snow cap on top. However, the impression is deceptive.

We read about this in the guidebook, sipping tea from a thermos on the side of the highway leading to the foot of the volcano. Behind us is a dense chestnut forest where hares run. On the left, through a low fence, a blossoming apple tree is dragging branches. On the horizon, the black and white top of Etna stands out from the grayish haze ... The landscape is serene, there is not a hint of death and destruction, which the book speaks about eloquently.

But here we get into the car and go further . After some time the forest on both sides of the road ends, and we find ourselves in the middle of a desert plateau of black color, on the steel belt of the highway . It's scary to go down - the land seems scorched and red-hot, although the frozen lava is cold, like any other stone . We got in Mordor, the kingdom of the Black Lord, who is merciless in his quest to destroy all life . where to go, where to hide, not to see the horrible black earth? We get into the car and drive ahead until we find ourselves in an improvised belvedere . In the foreground there is a dense forest, in the background there is an extensive plateau under a cloudy sky . A beautiful panoramic view, where at least a little eye can rest . But what we see? The bright green forest is divided in half by a black glade-the stream of frozen lava, and the plateau is dotted in the distance with hills of strange shape, similar to a truncated cone: these are the later craters of Etna . We again have an infernal spectacle, after which no one else feels " king of nature ".

Unique Sicily . But here we take a closer look and see that both the plateau, cone-shaped hills, and even the frozen lava are overgrown with juicy grass and dense shrub . Life takes its toll, and volcanic soil is very fertile . Descending lava flows crush houses like matchboxes, however, from solidified black stone make bricks and decorative facing tiles for facades . If you have time, be sure to go for half a day in Randa tstso - the city closest to Etne, famous for its black church St. Mary @, built of lava stone . And even about the myriad of souvenirs made from lava for tourists, you can not say!

So life and death, creation and destruction are interconnected indissolubly. And, perhaps, this is the most piercing lesson that gives visitors Parko-del-Etna.

On such an amazing land and trees must grow amazing. So it is: the village of Sant'Alfio has been standing for more than 2000 years. Chestnut Hundreds of horses - one of the oldest trees in the world. According to legend, under the canopy of its branches, one day, Giovanna Anjou and one hundred horsemen accompanied her. Perhaps this legend is not so far from the truth, because the diameter of the tree (in fact it is several trees with one root) - about 60 meters.