Since many years our lunch buffet in very appreciated.

In this part of year we are offering it at special price to tour operators, an incredible price if you consider how many good things you find on it at cost of a normal lunch. A price even better than that you find in most other restaurants all over Sicily. This thanks to an experienced organization and a great volume of work.

If you are not part of an organized group you can anyway have buffet at a special rate, too. Call us at +39 095 914122 to know in advance when you can find our buffet.

What do you find in buffet? Different kinds of fresh special home made pastas, many kind of meat, a lot of vegetables, cheeses and salami, rich salades and many sicilian specialities changing every day according to fresh products we find.

Mr. Humphrey Reader wrote me yesterday.

I have no possibility to check so if anybody knows something more please write us.

Dear Davide,

You might be interested in this photo from the Etna Trekking camera 3 taken today at about 13:50 (UK time) - we seem to have fumarole activity from a patch of hot ground at a level above where I remember seeing the lava escaping in the 2008-09 eruption.

If I were on-site I’d take this as a sign to go and have a look if possible. Weather looks good - maybe someone actually should investigate? I know the site is difficult to access. Webcams are all very well but you’d need a personal visit to get a view of the activity from different angles, close-up etc - and of course to take gas and rock samples.

I’ll try to remember tonight to see if there’s any corresponding glow - I imagine almost certainly not but if there is I’ll let someone know at once! I suppose there just might be a super-hot fumarole like my ‘hell-hole’ which according to scientists I ran across at the time was expelling gas at about 900C.

Kind Regards

HUMPHREY READER

No doubt INGV is investigating and we will have some news, soon!

A torch-light procession has been organized on February, 28th close to hotel.

Italian ski school Nicolosi-Etna in cooperation with Etna Sci - Sportclub Etnasci and with cable car society “Funivia dell’Etna” organize this event.

You can join ski-teachers if you wish.

Appointment has been fixed at 04:00 p.m. in ski school Nicolosi-Etna base (200 meters far from Rifugio Sapienza, 500 from Hotel Corsaro).

Before sunset chair-lift will take you to Monti Silvestri ski slope then it will begin the long torch-light procession.

It will follow entartainment, sweetness and “vin brulè”.

Price should be fixed at € 10,00.

Meanwhile I write I couldn’t see more information on EtnaSci website. I presume in next hours you will find everything on their website.

About march there are still many rooms available of “March, month of snow” weekend of 13th and 14th at special rate (2008 prices instead of 2009 ones).

Check tariffs section or February, 21/02 new for more details.

New Year’s Day 2010 on Etna program is now available in definitive version (italian only).

You can download it clicking on following link: New Year’s Day 2010 on Etna.

About Christmas it’s confirmed we will be open at normal rates. We are not organizing any event on 24th and 25th, at least this year.

Photo by our index… but I expect we will have a cold and snowy winter.

In a warm spring is nice to have some fresh news.

Let’s begin from Oliver Beck who is falling in love for our wireless connection:

“Hello Davide,

having WiFi is fantastic. Now I can send E-Mails just around corner down to reception!
I have two photos of the eruption you can post on your website. First photo shows the vents of eruptive fissure at 2800 m that are now covered with sulfur and look very beautiful.
The second shows an ephemeral vent, located several hundred meters downslope. It emits hot lava slowely like toothpaste. The fissure is not easy to reach and access is dangerous, because ice is melting and is building caves where you can break in.
Even if the vents are quiet there is always the possibility of an explosion! The ephemeral vent is nearly inaccessible, because you have to climb across a big field of rough and sharp-edged lava. So you have to be well prepared and well equipped.

See you…

Oliver Beck”

Thanks mr. Beck!

About another Etna hero, Charles Riviere e Luca just left hotel few minutes ago. No, they have not been our guest, we are happy to share wireless with them, too! Charles reached the top and he saw Bocca Nuova and Nord Est craters warm, active, steaming as locomotives and with audible sound of internal explosions.

He thinks situation is close that we had in 2001 so is there reason to believe another eruption is preparing?

Even sismographs are working more than usual in last times so… should we worry?

Dr. Henning was in Sicily again in September.

It was hard to select some photos between about 800 taken.

A very small selection of 20GB of images is now exposed in our photo gallery.

In May 2009 I took mr. and mrs. Krabusch to a lovely corner of Etna country not too far from Giarre.

Family Di Bella guested them for a day in which they had an entire country available.

Cherries, blows, oranges, lemons and all may fruit occupied our friends until dinner time.

A country dinner, off course, but before it it was time to take some home made wine.

Why to publish this just now? Because two days ago Di Bella’s family invited our friends Krabusch to take part to “Vendemmia” (grape harvest) in which they could see how wine is produced.

Day ended after a delicious dinner in which mr. Di Bella explained mr Krabusch how to plug wine bottles… he then donated him.

I publish today may photos waiting september ones.

Oh, I was forgetting… happy birthday mrs. Krabusch!

A little message to publish two old Humphrey reader images of that he calls “Hellhole”.

First photo shows cold snow covered by sand in center of hell. Warm steam everywhere but snow tries to resist.

Second one is even more impressive. I presume a lava river covered by sand. It gives impression that Etna lava could spring form ground.

Fabrice Digonnet wrote:

Hello Davide, how are you ?
I hope you read the little paper I wrote during my too short stay in the hotel. I was really deprived by the impossibility to stay a few days to climb Etna, look at the summit, discovering the western flank (my dream on this volcano!).
I was on Etna for my job. I had to make pictures about the negative and positive impact of eruptions. So the northern flank and the situation of Piano Provenzana was perfect for me. As Usual, I mail you some pictures I made during the 2 days on my favourite volcano. I have the obligation to mail you pictures in 425×283 pxls with the copyright of my association. I hope it’s not a problem for you.
The pictures I took will be soon (normally in august) on the website of my job.

For the second time this year: thanks for your perfect reception, and see you soon!

Best regards from Auvergne/France

Fabrice Digonnet
Volcan Terre d’Eveil

www.volterev.fr

It’s difficult to impress me.

They did.

Watch a bit of extreme Snowkite on Etna.

In this video you will recognize Rifugio Sapienza (300 meters far from hotel) and one of ‘classic’ adorable Etna fox.

We are launching a new special offer on March’s weekend 13th-15th. 2008 tariffs if you stay Friday and Saturday night!

Most people seem to don’t know that March is an usually plenty of snow month. We will be glad to offer a special price to people who love snow but couldn’t find place in hotel in a so crowdy February.

We are sorry we couldn’t satisfy too many requests so we hope you’ll enjoy this offer!

As example, a room for two adults and two children under 12 in Half Board in winter costs € 220,00 per night. On 13th-15th weekend you will pay just € 190,00 per night with “March, month of snow” offer.