Mount Etna loomed large over everything as we arrived in eastern Sicily that early January. From miles away, I could see the steam plumes rising from the snow-topped behemoth, like blown-out candles on a hastily iced birthday cake.

Appropriately, I was on a milestone birthday road trip around Sicily, from Palermo to Catania. The second-to-last stop: Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano and also its tallest, at 10,900 feet. Scientists believe Etna has been active for more than 500,000 years, presiding over Sicily long before humans arrived.