.. yikes! Do hope they are right when they say no one is at risk. Just seen this BBC link ...

.... For the first time, this year.

Just noticed this thread. You're better off near Etna than Vesuvius because Etna lets off steam periodically. Vesuvius lies dormant for decades and then erupts on a large scale! Last eruption 1944.
Still, Etna may be interesting for tourists, but it can't be very nice to live in Catania with a smell of sulphur and all that black dust everywhere.

... yeh and now x3 in as many weks, okay so it's normale...

I think it is felt that it is overdue to erupt. I seem to remember being told this around 1980.

The super-volcano under the Bay of Naples is overdue to erupt too. Part of the coastline near Naples comprising a Roman dock/ seafront has risen by 20-30ft since Roman times as the pressure has built up down below in the earth's crust.

I was actually at the crater rim with a couple of plastic bags over my sandals when I got told that way back when

"Overdue" for a supervolcano is relative - apparently it may be a million years before the Bay of Naples erupts again.

I distinctly remember the guide telling us it was 40 years overdue and could go any moment.

Oddly, when we took my old Dad there in 2008 , it was still 40 years overdue.

, and it's still overdue. See it out of my window every morning, wondering when we need to scarper. My balcony is up for rent to TV crews and jounalists when it goes

A BBC crew were caught up in yesterday's eruption, they were filming there when it blew, they had to run and even then one of the reporters was saying this morning they felt lucky to be alive and she showed her coat that had a large hole in it caused by one of the hot lava pieces thrown out by the eruption.

Mount Etna: BBC crew caught up in volcano blast - BBC News

Etna and her many effusive eruptions make it safer, not building up pressure.
Those people yesterday had no business being where they were , " experts" , more like idiots . By their own video you can see they were right up to the mouth of a spewing crater . To get up that high you really have to make the effort to be there, these are not people who where at a safe distance and an extraordinary event occurred that harmed them.

We're planning on staying in one of Etna's rifugi in May, looking forward to it. Can't decide if I would like Etna to be active or not whilst we're there. Would be fascinating but equally "may you live in interesting times" is intended as a curse!