Il fuoco dell'Etna

Our little old neighborhood volcano has been quite busy since the start of 2013 - already erupting 13 times since January.  Sadly, we've been traveling or have somehow missed several of the recent eruptions, but on Saturday night we were in the right place at the right time and got to enjoy several hours of the live lava and fireworks show.  Seems like most of the eruptions we've viewed in the past have been well after the kids' bedtime, so this was also only the second time they've ever seen Etna erupt.  (They were treated to a 9pm bedtime for the special occasion!)

This was our actual view from the back porch!

Up close and personal...with the help of our telephoto lens and tripod!  Most of the lava flow was away from us - toward the north.  Maybe next time we'll pile everyone in the car and go on a lava chase.
P.S.  In case you're worried about us, we were told that (in addition to many other factors), Etna needs to erupt for approximately 6 days straight to put our area in any danger.