Sicilian Scorcher

A different kind of black block hit Catania last week. It was not the anarchist group that went on a rampage through the streets of Genoa during the G-8 summit, but a fine ash that settled on everything in this city of 380,000 on the eastern coast of Sicily. Catania lies at the base of Mount Etna, and when the 3,300-m volcano begins to spew lava, gas and ash, as it did last month, residents are forced to take note.

The explosions and glowing lava provided spectacular evening entertainment for the curious in Catania. But they proved a real threat to the 6,300 people who live in Nicolosi, a town 20 km away at 700 m on the shoulder of the mountain. Those who live on Etna have a constant sense of danger, and they seem to like that. "We have a love affair with this volcano and this mountain," said Nicolosi Mayor Salvatore Moschetto. "Even in the past when eruptions have ruined some property, we just start over again."

Etna tends to start over again as well. While it rumbles and smokes occasionally, the last major eruption took place in 1992, when lava menacing the town of Zafferana, located 13 km east of Nicolosi, was diverted through a series of controlled explosions. But damage control is a tricky business on Etna. Italian authorities declared a state of emergency and set aside $6.8 million for the area. Some 30 bulldozers worked around the clock to construct earthen walls to protect Nicolosi by diverting lava at higher elevations. They managed to build a divider that split one of the larger flows. Two planes and a helicopter also dropped water to cool the lava and slow its advance. But still it flowed, destroying several ski-lift pylons at 1,900 m. The next ski season on the mountain's south side may also be ruined, as experts believe the slopes will probably remain too warm to hold snow.

The residents of Nicolosi, meanwhile, prayed, and their prayers seemed to have been answered. The lava flow heading toward them dropped significantly in size and speed when it was still about 4 km from town. Another fracture had opened in the side of the mountain, slowing the fiery river winding toward Nicolosi. "Faith," says the parish priest, Carmelo Cavallaro, "can move mountains." Problem is, Mount Etna isn't going anywhere, and the friendly volcano grew a little less so late in the week. Though Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini visited Etna on Wednesday and declared the eruption "under control," the next morning the lava came within a couple hundred meters of the Sapienza Refuge, a mountain lodge for skiers and hikers. The refuge was saved by a 20-m man-made dam. "What worries us is that the flow is still constant despite the amount of lava that has already been released," said Enzo Boschi, head of the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology. Clearly, control is not a word to use lightly with the most active volcano in Europe.