Episode Four - Into the Woods

Available for 7 days

For centuries, Mount Etna has sent lava to engulf the towns and villages, terraced fields, orchards and vineyards on its slopes. But it still remains home to a quarter of Sicily’s population. In her compelling new book, Helena Attlee combines travel writing with history, mythology, geology, gastronomy and horticulture to give a unique account of life in the shadow of the volcano the locals call ‘La Signora’, ‘Mamma’, or even ‘Mamma Grande’ - the dodgy big mamma who might nurture her people tenderly for years and then suddenly dish out a brutal punishment. Helena becomes fascinated by the people who live on Etna and how they are able to accommodate the vast forces of such a turbulent landscape, exploring not only what the volcano takes away from them, but the gifts she gives them too. In Episode 4 she meets some of the people carrying on Etna’s ancient occupations and trades. Helena Attlee is the Sunday Times best-selling author of The Land Where Lemons Grow and Lev’s Violin. Reader: Juliet Aubrey (Middlemarch, Primeval, Professor T, All Creatures Great and Small) Abridger: Libby Spurrier Producer: Sara Davies Production Hub Co-ordinator: Dawn Williams Music and Sound: Matt Bainbridge A Pier production for BBC Radio 4