A trip to the Etna volcano, the prison of Zeus's strongest enemy.

There is a very interesting character in Greek mythology who is rarely talked about. This is Typhon, the strongest of the sons of the titan Gaea from the generation of giants. The myth about the Etna volcano in Sicily is associated with it. My dream was to see this volcano with my own eyes and I went there on a trip which I will tell you about. Although it was a few years ago, I think it's still worth sharing. But first, you should learn the myth about Typhon.

I drew an illustration that shows my impression of Typhon and Zeus, armed with an aegis and a moon crescent, just before their first duel.

In the myth, during the war between the gods and the titans, Gaia joined the gods because they promised her that they would free her children from Tartarus (i.e. from the great abyss). However, the gods did not keep their word, this enraged Gaia so much that she created a race of giants to defeat the gods. The strongest and most terrible of them was Typhon, half giant, half dragon. He was so terrible that the gods fled from him. The only one who faced him was Zeus, armed with a weapon called the moon sickle. However, he had no chance against Typhon, who took the sickle, cut Zeus and threw him to the end of the world. Typhon was the only opponent of Zeus who defeated him in battle. However, this is not the end of the story, the remaining gods and goddesses helped Zeus heal, and the cyclops forged a new weapon for him, thunderbolts. Zeus fought Typhon a second time, but this time he attacked with lightning from a distance, so Typhon could not reach him. At one point, Typhon fell onto the island, and Zeus took advantage of the opportunity and pinned him down. This is how the Greeks explained the existence of the Etna volcano in Sicily, because according to them, Typhon is trapped there, and the fire and lava released during the eruption are his fiery breath, visible when he goes berserk.

Leaving the myths aside for now, let's focus on the journey. It is best to go to Mount Etna from the beautiful city of Catania. You can get there by plane. From the airport to the city it is about 2 kilometers, and by walking you can admire the Mediterranean Sea, which is next to the road, the lighthouse and the large beach. As usual, I decided to deviate from the route to see the surrounding nature. What interested me most was the wild cacti and wild turtles swimming in the river.

As I entered the city, I saw a large port, full of transport ships. The city of Catania is very beautiful and has a variety of attractions to explore. A cool, well-preserved castle, beautiful gardens and historic buildings, monumental sculptures and black beaches.

I was most impressed by the large sculpture located near the railway station. It depicts the mythological scene of Persephone's kidnapping by Hades. Both figures stand in a dramatic and dynamic pose on a rock, surrounded by mermaids and hippocampi. This sculpture is part of a fountain that is illuminated with multi-colored lights in the evenings.

However, the most important attraction of the city is the main street via etna, at the end of which you can see Mount Etna, the destination. 

To get to the volcano, it is best to take a special bus that leaves near the train station. However, before departure you must buy a ticket in a building nearby, because tickets are not sold on the bus. Now we have to travel about 10 kilometers, and along the way we can admire small bushes and cacti growing on the volcanic soil and large areas of black rocks that are solidified with lava. The bus goes about halfway to Etna and then you have to walk or rent a special car. Of course, I climbed on foot and from half its height the volcano began to resemble a desert. There were no plants there and everything was covered with gray volcanic ash. Etna is quite steep up to three quarters of its height, but near the top it begins to become flatter. It is very important that you take warm clothes with you because it gets very cold at the top of the mountain. While wandering through the dust desert, which had many large craters, I noticed that there were some insects to be found there. Most of them were small in number, but the only animal that was common on Etna turned out to be ladybugs. There were plenty of them there, actually I don't know why so many people want to live there. The higher I was, the better I could see the peak covered with snow and sulfur, with smoke coming out of it. At the top you could also see a large field of sharp, volcanic rocks and huge craters and the Caldera. I must admit that although I am not afraid of heights, I was afraid of great abysses. I collected some volcanic stones at the top, imagining Typhon locked inside the volcano. After a while it was time to catch the bus back to the city.

This trip was really great for me and I can recommend a trip to Etna and Catania.