Monte Palestra is the complex of cones seen in the central-right portion of this photograph, taken from the summit of Monte Rosso, nearly 2 km to the WNW. The relatively sparse vegetation on this cone cluster is due to the altitude - Monte Palestra lies just above the tree line, at nearly 2000 m. Its age is unknown, and it is unknown whether the entire cluster was formed during one single eruption or different events. Dark lava tongues fed from large summit eruptions, mostly in 1787, are seen extending down to Monte Palestra; one lobe spilled down between two cones in the center and at right. Photograph taken in September 2003

Mamma Etna's countless children
Monte Palestra
W flank, 14.94093° E, 37.74256° N
Summit elevation: 1883 m (W rim of W crater)

The origin of the name "Monte Palestra" is uncertain - palestra in Italian means a sports hall, a gymnasium - no such structure does actually exist within a range of more than 10 km from this cone. To hikers doing the spectacular three-day excursion along the Forest Guard Road (strada forestale) from the "Milia" gate to the northeastern side of Etna (or vice versa), Monte Palestra marks the highest point of the entire tour - nearly 2000 m. The cone actually rises to an elevation of 2033 m and is a rather complex feature built on an eruptive fissure with several vents including two major craters. The upslope side of Monte Palestra has been largely buried and surrounded by lava flows probably produced during a large summit eruption in 1787, with some of the upper vents forming an "island" (named "dagala" in the Sicilian dialect) within these flows.
About 0.5 km to the NNW of Monte Palestra lies a small but nice mountain hut of the same name, which offers shelter to hikers that arrive in the area in the late afternoon and need to spend the night in a protected place. A cistern generally contains water of sufficient quality to be used for cooking.
Although I have passed numerous times next to Monte Palestra, I never climbed it so far. The best photographs of it were obtained when climbing down the steep western flank of Etna during the massive October-November 1999 eruption at the Bocca Nuova.

Many of the pyroclastic cones on the west flank of Etna are seen in this photograph, of which the nearest (covered with yellowish grassy vegetation, in left center of photograph) is Monte Palestra. From this perspective (taken high on the steep west flank of Etna's main edifice) the 1787 and older lava flows fed from summit eruptions are well visible, which have reached and partly buried the Monte Palestra cone cluster. The large cone at upper right is Monte Ruvolo, before it lies Monte Nuovo, and still nearer the densely forested Monte Rosso, with the small but much younger Monte Mezzaluna at its northern (right) base; the two summit craters of Monte Capre are seen still further left. More distant to the left lie the Monti Nespole and Monte Leporello. Steam rises in the foreground from an active lava flow that was erupted from the Bocca Nuova (one of Etna's summit craters) in October-November 1999 and spilled down the west flank of Etna - the photograph was actually taken on 29 October 1999

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Copyright © Boris Behncke, "Italy's Volcanoes: The Cradle of Volcanology"