CATANIA – Mount Etna tours have resumed just one day after its most powerful eruption in four years sent tourists fleeing down its slopes.
Monday’s early morning eruption saw black ash shoot several kilometres into the sky. Footage of panicked visitors running as a vast column of smoke rose behind them quickly went viral. The eruption began at around 3:50 a.m. local time, following hours of increasing seismic activity.
Despite the drama, Italy’s geological authorities reassured the public that no serious danger was posed to residents or tourists. According to Stefano Branca, director of the Etna Observatory at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the eruption marked the volcano’s most intense activity since February 2021. Branca noted that strong strombolian explosions of “growing intensity” were recorded.
Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, has already erupted more than a dozen times in 2025.
Now, Etna tours are once again tentatively restarting. Tour operator Go Etna confirmed to The Independent that excursions have resumed, although with limits. Visitors are currently not permitted to ascend above 2,900 metres, and access to the summit remains restricted.
Authorities have not indicated when full summit access will be restored. In the meantime, local tourism officials stress that guided tours remain safe and are being carefully managed in coordination with volcanic experts.
Despite the restrictions, Mount Etna continues to attract visitors.
