Mount Etna is erupting right now, and though the volcano poses no immediate threat to human life, the eruption is spectacular as these videos show, especially when it is caught at night.
The following video was taken on December 1st. You can see the streams of lava issuing from the south eastern crater, and you can hear the noise that the eruption makes. Most impressive. The spectacular show is visible from Catania and from Taormina.
Etna is always erupting, the only thing that changes is how much you can see. When I went up Etna the last time I was in Sicily, it was erupting and there was smoke and steam visible from the topmost crater, but that was all. And the ground beneath my feet was hot to the touch. I have subsequently been up volcanoes in Central America and none can compare to Etna. It is the best of all volcanoes as a visitor experience.
I wonder if being so near to a volcano, and so active a one, has an effect on the people who live nearby. Does the presence of Etna make life feel precarious? That is a nice theory - that Sicilians are driven to banditry by the mountain on whose slopes they scratch a living - but it is simply not true, as Etna is ‘safe’ volcano, for the moment at least. This article here has a summary for those who might be worried, and some very nice pictures. I am unable to find out when Etna last killed someone; though it has destroyed buildings, and it has caused Catania Airport to shut on occasion, thanks to the way it spews ash.
In fact, rather than cause poverty and crime, Etna generates wealth for Sicily. It is a tourist attraction and the volcanic soil is fertile; though it takes hundreds of years for lava fields to develop into fertile land. Other islands are not so blessed. In the meantime, do enjoy the videos.