Mount Etna Information

The smoking, puffing and glowering spectre of Mount Etna dominates much of Sicily's eastern coast - you simply can't miss it! At 3323m in height it's one of the world's largest volcanoes and does erupt rather spectacularly from time to time; the most recent on 9th of July 2011 when lava fountained from a vent on the eastern flank.

So do take care when visiting the mountain. Having said that, while it might appear sinister to some, it adds a truly interesting dimension to the region. It's an absolutely fantastic place for tourists and Sicilians alike - you can ski down its slopes in winter, hike to the steaming craters if it’s not erupting, mountain bike on forest trails, take a scenic train ride, enjoy the fruits of its lava rich soils or simply wander the towns built from its volcanic rock.

Mount Etna is without doubt one of the geological and adventurous highlights of Sicily.

The volcano is just 29km from Catania, the largest town in the region. However the Etna area covers 1190 square kilometres and there are smaller towns that lie right on its slopes within a few miles of the craters. For example lava flows came very close to Nicolosi in 2001 and the Circumetnea railway line that circles the volcano has been cut by its lava flows.

You can approach the volcano from all sides so you don't necessarily have to base in Catania or Taormina to explore.

How to get to Etna

The best way to explore the Mount Etna region is with your own transport, which allows you the greatest freedom of stopping in at local towns and enjoying the numerous walks and access routes to the park areas. However if you don't have a car there are some public transport options. The Sicilian Airbus Travel (SAT) has a number of excursions from Taormina that incorporate Etna and its surrounding area. There are four tour options in summer, only one in winter. Other bus companies to look out for from in or around Catania that head within the Etna region include Azienda Siciliana Trasporti (AST), Interbus, SAIS Autolinee and Ferrovia Circumetnea (FCE). Each runs to different places within the Etna Park so it's best to know where you want to go first and look at transport that will take you there.

The private train line Circumetnea travels from Catania to Riposto and is an excellent way of circumnavigating the volcano if you're pushed for time. The journey is 114km and takes three hours but you can stop off along the way. From Riposto you can catch a mainline train back to Catania.

Things to do and see around Etna

There are so many towns and features around the volcano that are of interest and it's impossible to list them all here. However here are some of the highlights.

If you're keen on hiking and wish to see some of the craters up close consider visiting the Monti Rossi Craters just north of Nicolosi or head all the way up to Rifugio Sapienza to see the five eruptive cones nearby. The other option from Rifugio Sapienza is to get to the summit craters - definitely a highlight for many. You can hike up along the 4WD tracks, get in a 4WD minivan or take the cable car to Torre del Filosofo (15km) and walk on from there on a number of routes. There are numerous walking and biking trails on Etna so see information centres for more options. Alternatively you might like to do some horseback riding over volcanic trails or even take a scenic flight to get a different and more dramatic angle on it altogether. For this contact local tourism operators through information centres.

The rich soils of Etna are very good for wine cultivation and you can actually follow by bike, foot or vehicle routes along the Strada del Vino dell'Etna (the road of Etna wine). This is a great day's outing, particularly if you combine it with enjoying some of the local foods. Buon apetito!

Of course in the winter many of Etna's slopes around Linguaglossa and Nicolosi become packed with skiers. There is also a spectacular golf course near Castiglione di Sicilia.

And finally if you're interested in some of the local towns, these are rich with history and often have tremendous views of Etna's summit. Randazzo is the closest and lava has been used here in building construction. The town features a Catalan-Gothic cathedral made from volcanic blocks. Paterno is renowned for its 13th Century medieval castle and Biancavilla for its oranges.

If you think you have what it takes to run over Mount Etna consider taking part in the Sicilian Volcano Trail. Held usually in April/May it's fairly hard core stuff that takes in Mt Etna and volcanoes on the Aeolian islands.