The Earthquakes and Eruptions of 1669
The 16th and 17th centuries were hard on Etna inhabitants. Multiple, very damaging, prolonged eruptions resculpted the territory, devastated the landscape, displaced residents, wiped out villages, and buried valuable agricultural space. One eruption was particularly destructive. Following several days of strong earthquakes, a collapse in Mount Etna’s central crater on March 11, 1669 forced open …