Etna: lava by age on the north face
Down the north flank from the woods above Pettinociarelle, past Solicchiata, to the Alcantara valley and the old rock beyond it. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic. Etna is built of many separate flows; the drawing groups them into the two volcanic phases of the published INGV map (Branca et al. 2011) and shows the Solicchiata flow separately. Unit thicknesses are guessed. The exact flow under Pettinociarelle is not confirmed: Statella describes it as recent Mongibello (last 15,000 years). The Solicchiata flow (about 7,200 years) and the older Alcantara flow (about 14,000–10,000 years) are dated in Branca et al. 2019. Statella's Etna Bianco comes from Randazzo, about 11 km west on the same face, and is not on this line.
5 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
Why the north face makes Etna's finest reds
- It is the coolest face: north-facing, high, with long, slow ripening.
- At Pettinociarelle, Statella describes shallow, sandy, stony volcanic soil with little organic matter that drains fast.
- Each contrada sits on flows of a different age, and the soil changes with it.
- Height runs from 400 to over 1,000 m; Pettinociarelle at 765 m is in the heart of the band.
Did you knowEtna now has 142 official contrade. Castiglione di Sicilia, home of Pettinociarelle, has the most of any commune: 41.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Sources: Branca et al. 2011, Geological map of Etna volcano, Ital. J. Geosci.; Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 2019, on the Alcantara flows; Decanter and wein.plus on the 142 contrade; Marc de Grazia on Statella; AWS Terrain Tiles.