Earth's angriest mountains are also its most generous neighbors.
26 minSeason 2 • Episode 15
LatestIsolated at sea between Europe and Africa, Pantelleria is the most secret active volcano in Italy. Its gentle windswept relief is a world away from the great Italian volcanoes, such as Stromboli or Vesuvius. However, for those who take the time to discover it, the island conceals countless volcanic treasures... from the Bronze Age to today, the peoples who have succeeded one another here have jealously guarded the secrets of the Black Pearl of the Mediterranean.
No two volcanoes are alike; each one has its own distinctive landscape, climate, and geological context. Just as unique are the people we meet along the way who help us comprehend how greatly our planet – and our lives – have been shaped by volcanic phenomena. For the scientific aspect of each episode, we explore the very diverse range of questions raised by volcanic phenomena in such varied fields as earth sciences, climatology, biodiversity, oceanography, geography, agronomics, and archaeology. The cultural part of the show delves into mythology, religion, philosophy, folk and artistic traditions, cooking, and ways of life.
Cinematography
Lava flows that belong in galleries
Direction
Guérin makes geology genuinely sexy
Writing
Science and poetry, no condescension
Creator
Arnaud Guérin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Arnaud Guérin spent three years dormant on Réunion Island before filming, learning from local volcanologists.
The series deliberately pairs each volcano's destructive mythology with contemporary residents who've built lives in its shadow, revealing how disaster narratives often serve colonial extraction.
FR
