The volcano has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years on and off. And the longest time that it had an eruption. 13 years. Yeah, I had to read that twice. The eruption lasted 13 years. It's one of the most active volcanoes in Europe, so there is a bit of a risk having a vineyard on the volcano. However, there is a spiritual side to Mount Etna.
Mount Etna for us, it's like a female figure. It's like a mom, a muntanya the mountain. And for us it's normal. When we we we awake in the morning, give a greetings to Mount Etna because it's always a presence in our life. So she is always active. Now, I don't know if you have, um, uh, a chance to to see the beautiful smoke circle in the sky a couple of weeks ago and, uh, she gave to us, uh, um, magical and spectacular events. Of course. It's, uh, it's very dangerous, but it's part of the game we know very well. And, uh, so for us, it's, uh, it's normal without Mount Etna. How our life would be completely different.
So you've got these vineyards on Mount Etna. Let's rewind just a little bit and go back to what led you to that point. Where in your life did you make the transition from whatever you were doing to having a vineyard on Mount Etna?
Well, my history, my story is a pretty unique because I wanted to become an archeologist, and my dream was to discover secrets, things, lost traditions, and whatever. But for several reasons, I ended up graduating in economy with honors. And I remember that, uh, that period of my life was a big mess. Many projects, many ways to to go. But my future was tremendously uncertain. I remember that probably the curious thing, it was that I didn't drink wine until I was 24 years old. I know it's, uh, it was a completely disaster. If you think the direction of my life has taken, you know, everything started. I remember a long time ago during, uh, my first date, uh, romantic date in Taormina. Taormina is an authentic jewel, uh, Sicilian town immersed in pure Greek culture. And, uh, I tasted my first white wine. And thanks to the, you know, romantic atmosphere and the candlelight dinner I had, uh, I remember that I had an epiphany, uh, because, uh, it's, uh, it was like something of an atomistic, uh, touched the strings of my soul about wine, about the wine world. So my destiny changed completely. And, uh, I was very intrigued, uh, by wine. And, uh, I studied a lot, I became a sommelier, I started to invest all my energies in the wild of, uh, in the world of wine, with patience and a huge effort.
The romantic part to when you were talking about the wine and you were on a romantic. Did that lead anywhere in your life?
Yes, yes, yes. Because, uh, I remember that day one of the most special, uh, days in my life for two reasons. One for the epiphany about wine and then because the man became my husband. And so it has been so magical. Very unique. Uh, moment.
In part three of our conversation with Sonia Spadaro Mulone, we delve into the world where she says, I live and dedicate every day to my native vines and my wines, taking care of them and telling their beauty to the world. I learned from my vines, which, far from noise, follow ancestral laws of nature in the scorching heat of the Sicilian summer, or immersed in the snow of the Etna winter. It is a joy and honor to do so, but an immense responsibility. That's next.
