The heavy emission of ash into the sky forced the closure of two airports in the Sicilian city of Catania on Saturday.
Etna’s recent activity followed “lively spattering” recorded by the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) in early June and a previous eruption last December.
The INGV said the latest eruption was intermittent and the lava was flowing around 1.5 kilometres down a desertic escarpment called the Valle del Bove from craters located on the volcano’s southeast face.
The two affected airports – Catania and Comiso – were able to resume operations on Saturday afternoon, although some weekend travellers experienced delays due to the backlog caused by the eruption.
Earlier this month, the volcano on the island of Stromboli erupted suddenly, killing a Sicilian hiker who had been climbing the mountain with his Brazilian companion.
Tourists were evacuated from the island after running to take cover in the sea when the volcano erupted.
