A hike on Mount Etna is an easy enough day trip from Catania or anywhere in the Eastern part of Sicily. You can put together your DIY itinerary, but I chose an organized tour to make the most of my day on Europe’s most impressive volcano.
About Mount Etna
Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe. Its current height is 3326m, but it changes frequently with new eruptions. Etna erupts often, but it’s one of the “good” volcanoes because it doesn’t usually cause much damage. For comparison, Mount Etna is almost three times the height of Mount Vesuvius, the other famous Italian volcano.
Etna is one of the most impressive sights in Sicily, and it has almost constant volcanic activity. One of the popular expressions in Sicily is that Etna ‘sta fumando‘ (Etna is smoking), and that is a frequent image of Mount Etna.
The constant eruptions enrich the volcanic soil in this part of Sicily. That is why the local fruit and vegetables are among the best in the world, in my opinion. I’ll get back to that in a post about food and wine in Sicily.
In the meantime, let’s get back to our day trip to Mt. Etna.
Day trip with Etna Moving
We chose a tour with a local company, Etna Moving. The day had a little bit of everything: great guides, some off-road, a couple of walks, amazing views, and also some good food.
We left early in the morning from Catania in some huge SUVs. Well, we needed this type of transport, as you’ll see later on. We headed for the slopes of Mt. Etna. The villages we passed by looked beautiful and well maintained. More so than Catania, to be honest.
A bit of off-road
The first ‘adventure’ was a short off-road drive. We left the road and went into the forest. That is where the SUVs came in handy. We stopped in a place with a good view, and Fabrizio, our guide, taught us the first lesson of the day.
I always had a soft spot for volcanoes. I find them majestic, and their role in forming the atmosphere and balancing the temperature leaves me in awe when I think about it. An incredible mechanism! Anyway, my interest in these natural wonders is 1000 times exceeded by Fabrizio’s passion.
We learned about the differences between a Strombolian-explosive volcano, like Mt. Vesuvius, and…
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