Vincenzo has been living the Etna volcano since 1997.
• Belongs to the second generation of Etna guides
• Official guide on the Italian volcanoes
Vincenzo Greco attended the Faculty of Geology at the University of Catania and spent his childhood in close contact with the volcano. Grandson of the alpine guide from whom he took his name, his parents brought him to Piano Provenzana just a few months after his birth. Little Vincenzo spent his days playing in the woods and running across the bare tongues of lava. The curiosity born from his constant presence in the natural environment allowed him to build a special bond with the mountain, which for him became a true teacher of life. At the age of 4, he learned what alpine skiing was; at 5, he visited the summit craters for the first time. At the age of 8, he witnessed the great 2002 eruption that destroyed Piano Provenzana. Fascinated and deeply impressed by such power, he began to devote himself to studying the volcano and its eruptive phenomena, while continuing his winter and summer ascents with the Etna guides.
His passion kept growing and—steadfast in the values passed down to him—he decided to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who had passed away when he was only six years old. At the age of 18, he was entrusted with cataloguing the scientific materials of Salvatore Cucuzza, a well-known volcanologist from the University of Catania. Thus began his collaboration with the researchers of the INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology). Thanks to his ongoing research, he created — with the help of Dr. Stefano Branca — a project presented at the Etna Park headquarters, entitled “The Documentary and Photographic Archive of Salvatore Cucuzza.” Also passionate about sports, Vincenzo fell in love with ski mountaineering — the ideal activity to practice on the volcano. He also dedicated himself to climbing, running, and trail running competitions.He also devotes his time to rock climbing, running and trail running competitions. In 2016, he had the opportunity to attend the course to become a guide, and in February 2017, he fulfilled his dream by obtaining the title of Volcanological Guide — becoming the youngest person in all of Italy to achieve this milestone.