MOUNT ETNA – Tour guides who usually escort visitors to witness the breathtaking views of Sicily’s iconic Mount Etna are expressing their frustration over new, stricter regulations implemented by local authorities. These changes follow a series of eruptions from the massive volcano in recent weeks.

In response, officials in Catania have either halted or limited excursions to the volcano’s lava flows. This has led to guides staging a strike for the first time in many years, leaving tourists with limited opportunities to experience the volcanic spectacle at close range.

On Wednesday, numerous guides protested in front of the lava flow access point at Mount Etna, arguing that the newly imposed restrictions are overly stringent. They claim that the lava flows are moving slowly enough to allow safe viewing, as has been the practice in the past.

“These regulations effectively undermine the role of guides, stripping them of their expertise, duties, and professional responsibilities,” declared a statement from the guides’ regional association.

The lava flows are particularly captivating after dark, yet the new guidelines restrict excursions to daylight hours and maintain a minimum distance of 200 meters (660 feet) from the lava. Furthermore, a previously existing cap of 10 individuals per group is now being strictly enforced, with the aid of drones.

Mount Etna holds the title of Europe’s most active and largest volcano. It draws hikers and backpackers to its slopes, while those preferring a less strenuous experience can admire its grandeur from afar, most impressively from the vantage point of the Ionian Sea.

At 3,350 meters (almost 10,990 feet) tall and 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) wide, the Sicilian giant frequently offers a front-row seat to nature’s power. Last June, a massive eruption forced tourists to flee the volcano after a plume of high-temperature gases, ash and rock several kilometers high billowed into the air above them.

The latest restrictions were adopted after Mount Etna started a round of eruptions on Christmas Eve.

The most advanced lava front reached 1,360 meters (4,460 feet) above sea level, before stopping and entering a cooling phase after a journey of approximately 3.4 kilometers (about 2 miles), local authorities said. The lava flow poses no danger to nearby residential areas, volcanologists say.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology confirmed this week that Mount Etna’s eruption is ongoing, but said the lava fronts are cooling and not advancing further.

“This is a lava flow that is descending very slowly on an area that is now also flat or semi-flat,” said Dario Teri, 43, a member of Sicily’s association of alpine and volcano guides who participated in Wednesday’s protest.

The guides, who are expected to continue their strike in the coming days, hope to come to a compromise with authorities that can protect their profession while also ensuring the safety of visitors.

Claudia Mancini, a 32-year-old tourist, said she came from Palermo for an excursion with a guide at Mount Etna.

“Unfortunately, we got the bad news of the cancelling of all activity,” Mancini said, adding that she sympathized with the guides over a situation that ”is not making anyone happy.”

——-

Zampano reported from Rome.