Mount Etna: Sicily's protective, thunderous mother
In the villages scattered along its slopes, people nurture "an extraordinary love" for the volcano, as Emanuele Occhipinti shows through his "A'Muntagna" project, carried out between 2018 and 2023 and now the subject of a book nearing completion.
"People see Etna as a living entity, like a mother who protects them, whom they gaze upon affectionately. A mother who can also be stern and threatening, but who does not prevent either the young or the old from seeing themselves as her children," said the 46-year-old photographer, himself a native of Sicily.
'The fertility of its land'
Through a house window, one glimpses a frightened girl standing before a stable; the closed face of a farm boy, sitting with the door open at the front of a car, lost in the fog; the watchful eye of a shepherd; in a church, nuns reciting the rosary as if to ward off the elements and seek the Lord's protection. But the photos also capture the lightness of daily life: a card game at the local bar, or portraits radiating serenity.
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LeMonde
5 days ago
- LeMonde
Mount Etna: Sicily's protective, thunderous mother
In the eyes of those living around Etna, there seems to be a mix of fear and affection for their environment. In northeastern Sicily, Europe's highest and most active volcano has every reason to inspire fear. Since the beginning of 2025, it has already erupted four times – in February, April, May and again at the start of June – spewing columns of dark smoke kilometers high into the Sicilian sky. In the villages scattered along its slopes, people nurture "an extraordinary love" for the volcano, as Emanuele Occhipinti shows through his "A'Muntagna" project, carried out between 2018 and 2023 and now the subject of a book nearing completion. "People see Etna as a living entity, like a mother who protects them, whom they gaze upon affectionately. A mother who can also be stern and threatening, but who does not prevent either the young or the old from seeing themselves as her children," said the 46-year-old photographer, himself a native of Sicily. 'The fertility of its land' Through a house window, one glimpses a frightened girl standing before a stable; the closed face of a farm boy, sitting with the door open at the front of a car, lost in the fog; the watchful eye of a shepherd; in a church, nuns reciting the rosary as if to ward off the elements and seek the Lord's protection. But the photos also capture the lightness of daily life: a card game at the local bar, or portraits radiating serenity.
Euronews
27-07-2025
- Euronews
These unique ice creams are a reason to travel to Europe this summer
Europe may be home to creamy Italian gelato and elegant French parfaits, but the continent's best ice cream isn't always the most obvious. From Lapland to the lowlands, local traditions come to life across Europe in unexpected ice cream creations. Think pasta-shaped sundaes, chewy, goat's milk cones that don't melt in the sun and a very special treat for breakfast – yes, breakfast. Here are five scoops of ice cream worth travelling for in Europe. Germany's spaghettieis surprise Don't be fooled: this isn't pasta. Spaghettieis is a playful German invention that mimics a plate of spaghetti. It's made with vanilla ice cream squeezed through a press to resemble noodles, then topped with strawberry sauce 'marinara' and white chocolate 'Parmesan.' The German treat was invented in 1969 by Dario Fontanella in Mannheim. While purists might want to visit his Eis Fontanella for the original version, the dish today has become a beloved classic and can be found across Germany. In Munich, locals still line up at family-run Eiscafé Sarcletti - a fixture in the city since 1879 - where you can order the nostalgic dish in a dozen creative variations. Sicily's brioche con gelato breakfast In Sicily, ice cream isn't just for dessert. Locals like to beat the summer heat with a brioche con gelato. For breakfast. A split, slightly sweet brioche bun comes stuffed with scoops of creamy gelato – or with granita on the side, if you prefer - and is often topped with whipped cream or nuts. The pairing may sound indulgent, but it's as common as espresso on the island. The tradition dates to the 1800s and reflects the Sicilian love of contrasts - hot and cold, soft and firm, rich and refreshing. Classic flavours like pistachio, almond and stracciatella (vanilla gelato with chocolate swirled through it) are perennial favourites. Brioche con gelato is usually served with a spoon, but you can eat it like a sandwich, too. You'll find it everywhere in Palermo or along the coast in towns like Taormina and Noto. For a classic, try Don Peppinu in Catania, where the pistachio brioche is legendary. Türkiye's chewy, resiny delight Dondurma isn't your average scoop of ice cream. Typically made with goat's milk, salep (orchid root flour), mastic (resin) and sugar, Türkiye's traditional ice cream is elastic, chewy and slow to melt. So much so that it's often eaten with a knife and fork. The treat dates back centuries to the Kahramanmaraş region in the southeast, but it's now ubiquitous across Türkiye, from village fairs to Istanbul's promenades. Vendors often put on a show, flipping cones upside down or pulling the ice cream like taffy to amuse customers. Some will even play a cat-and-mouse game with you, but rest assured that it's all for fun. Popular flavours include pistachio, chocolate and cherry, but you can get more adventurous with variations such as saffron almond, clotted cream and piney mastic. In Istanbul, head to Mado, a national chain that originated in the dondurma heartland and now serves up the classic Turkish treat in historic locations like Beyoğlu. France's frozen tribute to wartime loyalty Despite its name, café liégeois has nothing to do with the Belgian city of Liège. Originally known as café viennois, France renamed the dessert during World War I to honour the people of Liège for resisting German occupation. The drink-dessert hybrid features scoops of coffee-flavoured ice cream layered with chilled coffee and topped with a swirl of Chantilly cream – a fluffy, high-fat dairy cream often laced with vanilla. It's a decadent and refreshingly bittersweet pick-me-up. For a taste of the classic in a setting steeped in history, visit Café de la Paix. Located in what is now the Intercontinental hotel, the 19th-century institution overlooks the Palais Garnier opera house and is pure Parisian grandeur. Lapland's golden berry treat Sweet, tart and impossible to cultivate commercially at scale, cloudberries are one of the Arctic's most elusive treasures. These golden-orange fruits, found in the wild marshes and bogs in Sweden, Norway and Finland, are foraged in late summer and have long been a staple of Indigenous Sami traditions. Their fleeting season and remote habitat make them a prized ingredient for everything from jam to liqueur. But the real indulgence is cloudberry ice cream. In Finland's north, the Arctic Ice Cream Factory swirls the berries into creamy scoops best enjoyed after a trek across the tundra or under the midnight sun. Across the border in Sweden, the Brandon Lodge in coastal Luleå and the Grand-Hotel Stockholm have each created decadent scoops of the seasonal treat – the latter with the help of local ice cream makers Otto & Glassfabriken.
Euronews
05-06-2025
- Euronews
Nine injured after violent turbulence hits Ryanair flight in Germany
Severe storms in southern Germany forced a Ryanair flight to make an emergency landing late Wednesday after violent turbulence injured nine people on board, German police said in a statement Thursday. The flight, travelling from Berlin to Milan with 179 passengers and six crew members, encountered turbulence so intense around 8:30 pm that the pilot was forced to make an unscheduled landing at Memmingen Airport in Bavaria. Eight passengers and one crew member were hurt. Three people were taken to the hospital in Memmingen for treatment; the other injured people were released after receiving outpatient treatment. As a precaution, all passengers were checked for injuries by the emergency services. Authorities did not permit the plane to continue flying, and the airline arranged bus transport for passengers. Milan is about 380 kilometres south of Memmingen. Elsewhere in the region, storms damaged several homes in Ulm, Baden-Württmberg, according to the German news agency dpa. In the Donaustetten district, strong winds tore roofs off multiple row houses, rendering them uninhabitable, though no injuries were reported. Fire officials suspect a small tornado or waterspout caused the damage. The German Weather Service (DWD) is investigating, according to dpa. Storm-related emergency calls also came from other areas in southern Germany, where damage was mostly limited to fallen trees and flooded basements. The DWD warned of further storms on Thursday, 5 June, with hail, strong winds, and localised heavy rain expected. Despite warnings to stay away, hikers on Mount Etna were forced to flee this week after Italy's most active volcano erupted. Footage from the mountain shared on social media showed tourists scurrying down the slopes as ash rose into the sky. Authorities had issued alerts on Monday morning after signs of increased volcanic activity, but dozens ignored them and climbed toward the summit anyway. 'There was a big explosion and a crater collapsed but luckily it fell into a deserted area,' said Salvo Cocina, head of Sicily's Civil Protection Department. 'It's very hard to block access [to Mount Etna] – you can't fence it off.' No one was injured and the alert level was lowered to the standard 'yellow' on Tuesday. Experiencing a close-up volcanic eruption is a bucket-list event, and Mount Etna offers one of the most accessible opportunities to do it. At 3,350 metres tall and 35 kilometres wide, the Sicilian giant frequently rumbles to life, offering a front-row seat to nature's raw power. Even when it's active, many trails and paths remain safe to climb. '[The experience is] a mix of awe and adrenaline,' says mountain guide Saro Trovato, who safely – and legally – climbed Mount Etna when it erupted in February. 'Even from a distance, you can feel the heat radiating from fresh lava flows.' But above 2,500 metres, hikers are legally required to travel with a qualified mountain guide, who can keep visitors safe as well as informed. On Tuesday, many hikers were as high as 2,700 metres above sea level. Conditions can change quickly on the mountain. On Monday, a pyroclastic flow – a fast-moving surge of gas, rock and ash – travelled two kilometres down the mountainside. It didn't go further than the Valle del Leone, a natural containment area for lava flows, but any changes could have led to catastrophe. Tourism presents other problems during eruptions, too. In February, Cocina said that tourists parked on narrow roads around Mount Etna had blocked access for emergency vehicles. Firefighters had to be deployed to manage the growing crowds. This is why the authorities mandate mountain guides such as Trovato, who receive real-time updates from volcanologists and rescue teams and are trained to respond if conditions suddenly change. 'Always check volcanic activity updates from local authorities and respect any access restrictions,' he advises. Especially when the volcano starts to stir.
