A clear, bright, and sunny day is all we need to remind us of just how close Malta is to neighbouring island nations…

Yesterday morning, well-renowned local photographer Daniel Cilia took to social media to share a stunning image of Sicily’s Mount Etna, captured all the way from Bingemma!

Thanks to the high visibility which blessed our islands over the weekend, Sicily could be spotted by the naked eye from various points around Malta.

“Shot with a full-frame DSLR in RAW with a 1200mm lens (slightly cropped here, making the photo similar to a focal length of about 1400mm), edited in Adobe Lightroom on my iPhone and posted on Facebook from the same fields I made the photo from,” Daniel wrote on social media.

For the less photography-savvy readers out there, rest assured that very minor edits were made to the image before it was shared on social media.

“Thanks again to my sister, Anita, for giving me a head-start since she informed me immediately when she was Her Majesty with her bare eyes from Xaghra, Gozo,” Daniel continued.

Taking to the comments section, the photographer noted that if you’re looking to spot Etna yourself, you’d be best off attempting to do so on a day characterized by “very cold Northern wind” and “no clouds.” It’s also best seen from higher up. 

Great shot, Daniel!