Our time spent in Riposto included an excellent guided tour of the lower regions of Mt Etna looking at a series of lateral volcano events and the results of lava in the area over a period of many centuries, right up to recent times. The foothills of Etna are home to wine growing, fruit trees, chestnuts, almonds and so on, the rich volcanic soil and good rainfall offering ideal conditions.

Walking down the slope of an extinct lateral volcano, temperature is about 12 degrees C

Unusual road block! A river of lava cuts across.

New road developed across the lava. Apparently you wait at least 2 years before the road can be built due to latent heat affecting the bitumen

Entering a tunnel created by lava, the outside cooling and walls solidifying, and went the flow of the lava inside decreased and the level dropped so formed the tunnel.

Such tunnels were used to store snow in the winter for ice in the summer.