EtnagIgantE: un racconto iconografico del vulcano patrimonio dell'umanità | EtnagI-gantE: an Iconographic Tale of the Volcano World Heritage Site

Trying to bring together all the texts and representations that have Etna as their subject is a daunting task. The cultural heritage of the volcano dates back to the very birth of the Mediterranean and, from there, is intertwined with human poetics and historical events, mythological tales and the scientific discoveries of anyone who approaches it. The following brief discussion attempts to trace one of the many possible paths through the descriptions of the tòpoi of Etna which, beyond the passage of time and the sources that have handed them down, can be considered permanent elements, both literary and visual. The territorial extension of the volcano means that its sphere of influence goes beyond the regional dimension to become a geographical reference point in the area of the Strait of Messina and beyond. In conclusion, a “design” intuition is proposed. The narrative of permanence, in its various forms of graphic reproduction, can be collected in a topological map of Etna. A “space-time itinerary” that presents an essential selection of iconographic images linked together by themes and combinations.