The Day Santorini (Thera) Blew Its Top

[Minimalist]

Interesting combination of history, archaeology and volcanology.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I met a USian lady in Naples who was there buying supplies for her school's team that was working at Santorini back in the late '70s. (I was on a rehab tour before returning to full duties.) She got me down to Santorini and let me play in the rubble. I dreamed of ghosts working alongside the American team.

[Minimalist]

My dad was in Naples in March of 1944 when Vesuvius last blew its top.  Even though it was a fairly minor eruption compared to Pompeii-Herculaneum standards he pronounced it "terrifying."

You don't fuck with Mother Naure!

[SYZ]

I recall being in Naples and looking up at Vesuvius smoking away
in the distance, and thinking...  hmmm... what if today?      

[Minimalist]

We were there in 1996 and it wasn't smoking....  but standing in the forum of Pompeii and looking up at it looming over the town one had to wonder at how little chance those people had once it blew.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My dad was in Naples in March of 1944 when Vesuvius last blew its top.  Even though it was a fairly minor eruption compared to Pompeii-Herculaneum standards he pronounced it "terrifying."

You don't fuck with Mother Naure!

I lived on the slopes of Mt. Etna for three years. Beast of a bad boy.

[Minimalist]

Your timing is exquisite, G/S.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news...a-37389869

Updated 13:05, 07 Jul 2026


Mount Etna in Sicily erupted again on Sunday, sending huge plumes of volcanic ash into the sky and forcing the cancellation of flights at Catania Airport.
The airport, which serves hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers each year, was forced to remain closed until this morning. Italy's national airline, ITA Airways, confirmed all of its departing and arriving flights at Catania Airport would either be cancelled or rescheduled on Monday.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

If you can a directly overhead shot of it pre-eruption and go straight south-ish, you'll see a crusader castle on a promentory, Motta San Anastasia (Spelling may be wonky, "it's been a while.") I lived about a mile southwest of that castle.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Your timing is exquisite, G/S.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news...a-37389869

Updated 13:05, 07 Jul 2026


Mount Etna in Sicily erupted again on Sunday, sending huge plumes of volcanic ash into the sky and forcing the cancellation of flights at Catania Airport.
The airport, which serves hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers each year, was forced to remain closed until this morning. Italy's national airline, ITA Airways, confirmed all of its departing and arriving flights at Catania Airport would either be cancelled or rescheduled on Monday.

Catania is the provincia capital. Taormina is a few miles north on the coast.

[Minimalist]

Etna is only about 70 miles from Stromboli which has been in a continuous state of eruption for between 2 and 5,000 years, depending on who you ask.

https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/stromboli

Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. It has been in nearly continuous eruption for about 2,000 years (some volcanologists suggest 5,000 years). Most of the present cone was well developed 15,000 years ago. 

All in all it sounds as if the whole area would be a bad place for any long term building projects.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Etna is only about 70 miles from Stromboli which has been in a continuous state of eruption for between 2 and 5,000 years, depending on who you ask.

https://volcano.oregonstate.edu/stromboli

Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. It has been in nearly continuous eruption for about 2,000 years (some volcanologists suggest 5,000 years). Most of the present cone was well developed 15,000 years ago. 

All in all it sounds as if the whole area would be a bad place for any long term building projects.

There are largish towns high on the slopes, often in the pine forests. (Assumption is that the trees have had time to grow large before they burst into flames. (DON'T take that bet!) The chateaus are often very large and well done.

Rick Wakeman wrote "Journet to the Center of the Earth" after spending time in one of those.

[Minimalist]

Humans love volcanic soil for farming....and they always seem to think that 'it won't happen now.'

It is almost amazing that Humanity has survived this long.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Humans love volcanic soil for farming....and they always seem to think that 'it won't happen now.'

It is almost amazing that Humanity has survived this long.

Etna is famous for the pine forests. You can almost tell how many years a stand had been there without burning up. They're very pleasant during the hot Med summers. That's why million dollart villas are up there.

For a time, anyway.

[Minimalist]

I wonder if they can get homeowner's insurance.... and what the premiums are?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I wonder if they can get homeowner's insurance.... and what the premiums are?

You could buy a small South American country with the price tag on some of the places. I gave Richard Burton and Kim Novak a lift to a film festival at Taormina "a few years ago." He was two miles from his house when his Maserati kakked it.

[Minimalist]

I never trust Italian cars.....I had a FIAT once.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I never trust Italian cars.....I had a FIAT once.

I ran the Auto Hobby Shop at the USNAF at Sigonella, Sicily. The sailors could bring in their newly acquired cars for a saftey inspection and help getting it to base saftey specs. I bought the ones that were considered to expensive to fix and the Italian national who worked at the shop (and spoke fluent Italian ('cause he was born there.)) I'd get an American title, we'd split the bill for parts and divied up the profit.) I owned several 500s, 600s, 124s, 125s, etc. His knickname was "Pop" and he was a WWII Italian Army vet.

The base XO made an unannounced visit to the shop one day and asked how much I was making on this. I sniffed the plot here and had my ducks in a row. I showed him everything I had and showed that I wasn't making a dime of the operation. Pop got 25% over the cost of parts he procured. Nobody complained, we didn't know shit from shinola about the Italian auto parts business.

The XO thanked Pop for "service above and beyond" and an ID to shop at the Base Exchange and the grocery store on base. He refused one card for the "Package Store" (Beer, Wine, Liquor).

[pattylt]

I never trust Italian cars.....I had a FIAT once.

When my son was in his early 20’s he bought a Renault….said trying to pick up girls by offering a ride in his Renault was much more embarrassing than successful!    We had a Fiat for a short time…it cost more to fix what broke than we paid for the damn thing.  We had it towed to the junkyard for free when we offered the clean title to go with it.

[Minimalist]

Capisco

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Remember, kids, Mauna Loa is not your friend.