ABOUT US

Nikos Lo Giudice, A great admirer of mountain sports and a lover of rock climbing, as a young man he spent his days ploughing the slopes of the volcano. Given his skills as a free-climber, he was constantly on the lookout for places suitable for this type of activity. His days were punctuated by constant training, both in summer and winter, necessary to tackle the cross-country skiing competitions that were flourishing at the time on the Linguaglossa slope. He took part in numerous regional and other championships, achieving excellent results. Experience and skill would soon lead him to acquire the qualification of cross-country ski instructor; today he practises his profession on the Poiana slope at Etna Nord. Not only skiing and climbing, Nikos also loves canyoning, a sport that is constantly developing in Sicily. His constant frequenting of inaccessible environments combined with his continuous training in nature has allowed him to establish a deep knowledge and strong bond with the territory. His passion for the fascinating mountain that raised him, his experience and his strong bond with the volcano have allowed him to obtain the title of Volcanological Guide; now Nikos leads tourists to discover Mt. Etna’s charms.

Vincenzo Greco attended the Faculty of Geology at the University of Catania and spent his childhood in close contact with the volcano. The grandson of a mountain guide after whom he was named, his parents took him to Piano Provenzana a few months after his birth. Little Vincenzo spent his days playing in the woods and running among the bare tongues of lava. The curiosity born of constant frequentation of the natural environment allowed him to establish a special bond with the mountains, for him a true teacher of life. At the age of 4, he learnt what downhill skiing was; at 5, he visited the summit craters for the first time. At 8, he witnessed the great eruption of 2002 that destroyed Piano Provenzana. Fascinated and impressed by such power, he began to dedicate himself to studying the volcano and eruptive phenomena, while he continued his winter and summer ascents with Mt. Etna’s guides. His passion continues to grow and – firm on the values passed on to him – he decides to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who died when he was only 6 years old. At 18, he was entrusted with the task of cataloguing the scientific material of Salvatore Cucuzza, a well-known volcanologist at the University of Catania. Thus began his collaboration with INGV researchers. Thanks to his continuous research, he realised a project with the help of Dr. Stefano Branca which he presented at the Etna Park site, entitled: “The documentary and photographic archive of Salvatore Cucuzza”.  Also a sports enthusiast, Vincenzo falls in love with ski mountaineering, an ideal activity to practice on the volcano. He also devotes his time to rock climbing, running and trail running competitions. In 2016, he had the opportunity to take part in the course to become a guide and in February 2017 he managed to crown his dream, obtaining the title of Volcanological Guide, the youngest person to achieve this goal in the whole of Italy.

Domenico Domanti, grandson of a mountain guide and son of a cross-country ski instructor, descends from a family that has made love for the mountains its bread and butter.  Educated, especially by his grandfather Domenico, in the culture and respect of the volcano, he grew up on skis from an early age. He discovered that he had winter sports skills, managing to achieve great satisfaction in many cross-country races. The young man’s love for the mountains is great: any excuse to climb and have fun. The many days spent at high altitude have allowed him to increase his bond with the volcano, so much so that he wanted to work in its area one day. It wasn’t easy, but Domenico didn’t lose hope and became passionate about snowboarding, managing to qualify as a snowboard instructor in March 2013. He currently practices his profession in the Piano Provenzana ski resort. But he is not satisfied, he wants more, so, thanks to the advice of his dear grandfather, the engine that fuels his passion, he manages to pass the tough tests to become a Volcano Guide, obtaining the most coveted title. Now Domenico transmits his passion all year round to anyone who wants to learn the secrets of our wonderful mountain that has raised him.

Daniele Maugeri, class of ’84, was born and grew up on the slopes of Etna, where he immediately took his first steps. At the age of 3, on the shoulders of a historical Mt. Etna guide, he first stepped onto the rim of the central crater; at the same age he started skiing, beginning to experience Mt. Etna at 360 degrees, freely following its seasons and learning about it in all its nuances and multiple aspects. Always in search of new ways to get involved and get to know ‘a muntagna’ (the Sicilian name for ‘the mountain’), he started free climbing as a child and, at the age of 16, he gave up competitive skiing for good to devote himself full-time to ski mountaineering on Mt. Etna; With the passing of time, his immense passion for outdoor activities led him to broaden his horizons, moving to the Alps at the age of 23, where he continued to practice ski mountaineering (including Telemark), mountain biking (without disdaining the occasional bikepacking trip), long route climbing and also began practising classic mountaineering and ice climbing. In 2010, he began working as an alpine ski instructor in South Tyrol, where he obtained his diploma; he then moved to Madesimo (Lombardy) where he sometimes still practices. As a Volcano Guide, he now has the pleasure of passing on – thanks to his outdoor activities – his passion for Etna and volcanoes, making them discoverable in safety and sharing small great adventures while having fun.