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The area of ​​extinct volcanoes is located in the southern part of central France and administratively falls under the region of Auvergne. Volcanic rocks (the rocks resulting from volcanic activity) are divided into four smaller areas. In order from south to north they are Monts du Cantal, Cézallier, Monts Dore and the Chaîne des Puys.

The southernmost mountain is Monts du Cantal, consisting of a single giant stratovolcano (a volcano composed of layers of lava and pyroclastic rocks) with a diameter of 50 km. Originally it was 3,000 metres high and was created by multiple eruptions relatively recently – in the period before 13 to 2 million years ago. French claims that it is Europe’s largest stratovolcano. The whole Cantal mountains were covered with glaciers in the Quaternary. If you want to enjoy distant views you can get up to the Puy Mary (1787 m) – on the way you will see number of flowers in mountain meadows, lots of cows, whose milk is used to produce excellent cheeses, including Cantal cheese, known throughout France and delivered already to the court of Louis XIV.

A little further north lies Cézallier area, the least attractive for tourists, consisting of basalt lava flows that originated from 8 to 3 million years ago.

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Much more attractive is the third area – Monts Dore with the highest peak of the Puy de Sancy (1,885 meters). It is also a stratovolcano, but smaller and younger. It was created 3 million years ago by a huge volcanic eruption that created a great caldera (a large circular or elliptical crater) consisting of layers of acid ignimbrite and trachyandesite lava flows. View of the eruption must have been really impressive, but also malignant for all living in the vicinity. Fine ash fell even hundreds of miles away. Crater reached a height of up to 2 500 meters. Volcanic activity then continued until about 200,000 years ago and later even erosion and glacier topography changed the original caldera. To the top of the Puy de Sancy you can get by a cable car and then walking for about 20 minutes. The reward is again superb view (in good weather you can even see Mont Blanc) and flowering alpine meadows.

But the most beautiful and most attractive is the last part – the northernmost areas of the chain of volcanoes Chaîne des Puys. On a line about 40 kilometers long, were created up to 48 volcanic cones, lava domes and maar. The youngest is the volcano Puy de Paria. This is a typical type of Stromboli volcano and you can still see beautifully preserved crater here. The landmark of this part is the Puy de Dôme volcano, created about about 12,000 years ago. The peak is a popular place for hang gliders or paragliders. View from the top is really worth and during the nice weather you will see the horizon of the Alps.

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Garajonay National Park includes also a mountain massif Garajonay that reaches an altitude of 1487 meters and such it is the highest point of the island. From here, during nice weather you can enjoy a beautiful view over the Atlantic Ocean and the other islands of the Canary Archipelago, El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Foot of the mountain is covered by the dense forest, on the drier side it is formed by gale and tree heath. These shrubs are reaching heights over 15 meters. Because of their non-combustible timber, they are used in production of pipes. Laurel forest grows on the northern and northeastern slopes. These trees boasts a large, solid, and shiny green leaves.

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The climate on La Gomera is cooler than on the other islands, even though this area is known for its dry climate. Deep green forests provide a pleasant relax during the hot days. The air is usually cool and moist, it rains almost constantly during the summer. This is due to the action of trade winds that are coming from the northeast, which brings permanent moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. This phenomenon is important in terms of the water regime of the island, because about two-thirds of drinking water are formed by this way. The sunny parts of the forest feature a number of blooming flowers. You can also find almost two meters high fern, which prevent from the smooth walking through the jungle. The local lush vegetation includes 20 metres high trees, which are densely covered with moss. La Gomera is also a home to around 100,000 palm trees, which is the most of all the Canary Islands. Half of them are Canary palms, whose sap is used for production of an edible sweet syrup called also a palm honey. The other half are African palms. In addition to this interesting and unique vegetation, island boats numerous gorges, rock cones and rocks, which descend deep into the sea. Among the most beautiful valley on the island is Gran Rey.

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More than 450 species of plants grows on La Gomera. Some of these species are endemic and can not be found anywhere else in the world, such as Canarian mahogany and ebony. In the Tertiary period laurel forests covered an area of northern Africa and parts of southeastern Europe. Their demise was due to temperature fluctuations in times of Ice age and subsequent deforestation. Laurel forest in the Garajonay national park is the last surviving example of those forests. Since it is not destroyed, it is called a living fossil.

The island of La Gomera was created by the volcanic eruption and the last eruption is dated to the Quaternary period. Volcanic chimneys spewed basalt and ash that settled in the layers. Those were then burned by hot lava. Long ago, the island was much larger, but due to the erosion has shrunk by more than half into the present area of ​​370 km2.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Axel Brocke

Since it is a popular tourist area there are lots of accommodation options of all categories on the island of La Gomera. The beaches are mostly rocky.

The capital of the island is San Sebastian, which was a popular port of Christopher Columbus. Among the known historical villages are the Valle Gran Rey, Chipude, Agulo and Arure. An interesting feature of the island is that the locals communicated by whistling. This language is called El Silbo or Silbo Gomero and is still used by some people, because such they can communicate over long distances (3-4 km).

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Rupite includes a small mountainous protected area in the part Blagoevgrad Province, about 10-12 kilometres northeast of Petrich.

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Already on the way to Vesuvio you can see the places where nothing grows. In 1944 there was the last eruption of lava flowed through here. From the car park you can walk to the top of a very busy sidewalk. Hike is pretty tough and definitely not suitable for older people. There are stalls selling refreshments and souvenirs on the top.

During the beautiful weather it really worth to look at the Gulf of Naples, the sea and also to the crater of a volcano.

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Photo by admin – that’s me and my wife in Vulcano island : – )

It is not a secret that the Aeolian Islands are called the pearls of the Mediterranean. Surely you enchant their unique atmosphere, clear sea, white houses contrasting with the black volcanic beaches and agile life regardless of the presence of volcanoes. In the fertile areas off the coast of Sicily you admire growing vines, olive and fig trees in the wild mountainous inland countryside and smoking a volcano Mount Etna. In deep valleys you can see a beautiful cities with many ancient and Norman sites.

Due to its climate, beautiful landscape, exotic wildlife and beautiful coastline are Aeolian Islands looking forward a growing interest of tourists. They are suitable for lovers of nature and hiking, as well as for a sun worshippers and swimmers. Clean seawater and rugged coastline make these islands a paradise for divers and water sports operators.

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Geographical location of the Aeolian islands guarantees a subtropical climate. Average temperatures are acceptable due to fresh winds that pleasantly cool hot air from the sea and bring soothing moisture. In summer the temperature reaches around 35 °C, annual average temperature is 14 – 16 °C. An important climatic factor is the distribution of annual precipitation. Rainy seasons are mainly autumn and winter. Rain is usually rare in summer, it is usual that six months are totally without rain.

You can get to Lipari by a ferry from Sicily (a town Milazzo), where you can be transferred with your car. It is possible to move between islands by fast ships Aliscafo. The most popular type of accommodation on the Aeolian Islands are bungalows or apartments.

Aeolian islands offer really a lot. Certainly you should not miss the greatest attraction of the islands – a trip to the active volcano Stromboli. In 2000, the Aeolian Islands were included in the list of UNESCO’s cultural and natural heritage sites.

Photo by admin – Vulcano island

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Mount Etna, volcano, Sicily, Italy by andrea

While lava tends to flow from the volcano on a fairly regular basis, very few times throughout the island’s history has the lava actually made it to the sea. There are a number of peaks located around the slopes of Mount Etna. Because of its activity, during the days of the Greeks, Mount Etna was considered to be the home of the God of Fire, Vulcan. It was also believed to be where the Cyclops lived.

Because of its height, snow falls on the peak of Mount Etna during the winter months. As a result, it is one of only two locations on the island of Sicily where one can go skiing. The other one is in the Madonie Mountains. Skiing during the wintertime is a common occurrence, especially by the local population of the island.

There are a variety of different plant species that can be found along the slopes of the volcano. The most common trees that one can see are oaks and pine trees. The most commonly found plant in the foothills of the mountain is the Broom Plant which can be found everywhere.

There are many streams and ponds that can be found along the slopes of the volcano as well; especially in the denser wooded areas. Here you will find a number of amphibians such as frogs, turtles and toads. There are also a number of salamander species that live in the waters of Mount Etna. The largest lake that you can see along the slopes of the volcano is that of Gurrida Lake.

While there are roads that lead up into the upper portion of Mount Etna, the volcano is best explored on foot where vehicles simply cannot reach. There are a number of different nature trails that lead up into Mount Etna. On the western slopes of the mountain is the Monte Gallo to Rifugio della Galvarina trail, to the north is the Casa Pirao to Monte Spagnolo trail, then there is also the Monte Nero degli Zappini Nature Trail and the Mount Zoccolaro Nature Trail.

One of the more popular hiking trails up the slope takes you from Casa Pirao, up into Monte Spagnolo. The hike will take nearly five hours round trip. That does not include the times that you will want to stop, get something to drink and take some photographs of the awe-inspiring views. Do not forget to take enough water with you as well as something to eat.

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Stromboli, Sicily, Italy by Steven W. Dengler

Because of its continuous activity, the island of Stromboli is home to less than a thousand people. The most recent major eruption of the volcano was back in 2009. However, because there is a constant stream of minor eruptions that occur on a regular basis, the island has become known locally as the Mediterranean Lighthouse. There are three different craters in the peak of the volcano which currently rises 926 meters above the sea.

For more than 2,000 years, Stromboli has been erupting and has maintained a fairly recognizable pattern. Since lava does not tend to flow during the eruptions, there have been very few explosive occurrences. However, there have been a number of exceptions to this.

Today there are three villages located on the island. The villages of San Vincenzo and San Bartolo can be found along the north-eastern shorelines while the village of Ginostra can be found along the south-western shores.

Back in the early 1900s, the population of the island was quite large. It was home to several thousand people. However, by the 1950s as a result of multiple migrations, the population of the island dropped to only a few hundred. Coupled with the recent increase of volcanic activity over the past few decades, the population of Stromboli never reached more than a thousand inhabitants.

Most people who plan on visiting Stromboli chose to take the ferry to the island in order to spend the day marveling at the volcano before returning to Sicily by nightfall.

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