In the middle of spring, impressive walls of snow build up on Mount Etna, making the volcano look almost like a winter landscape. Anyone visiting the area feels as though it is January rather than April.

At high altitudes, emergency services are clearing their way through vast amounts of snow to create corridors so that vehicles and tourist coaches can reach the viewing points at around 2,000 metres. Some sections of the route run through narrow passages between walls of snow several metres high, which in places reach up to 6 metres.

This was due to heavy snowfall at the start of the year, particularly during the HARRY low-pressure system. Persistent temperatures around 0 degrees subsequently stabilised the snow cover.