Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Catania's one-line metro currently has only six stops, all on the periphery of town. For
tourists, it's mainly useful as a way to get from the central train station to the Circumetnea
train that goes around Mt Etna. Tickets cost €1.
For a taxi, call
Radio Taxi Catania
(
095 33 09 66)
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mt Etna
ELEV 3329M
Dominating the landscape of eastern Sicily and visible from the moon (if you happen to
be there), Mt Etna is Europe's largest volcano and one of the world's most active. Erup-
tions occur frequently, both from the volcano's four summit craters and from its slopes,
which are littered with fissures and old craters. The volcano's most devastating eruptions
occurred in 1669 and lasted 122 days. Lava poured down Etna's southern slope, engulfing
much of Catania and dramatically altering the landscape. More recently, in 2002, lava
flows from Mt Etna caused an explosion in Sapienza, destroying two buildings and tem-
porarily halting the cable-car service. Less destructive eruptions have continued to occur
regularly over the past decade, with 2013 seeing several dramatic instances of lava foun-
taining - vertical jets of lava spewing from the mountain's southeast crater. Locals under-
standably keep a close eye on the smouldering peak.
The volcano is surrounded by the huge Parco dell'Etna, the largest unspoilt wilderness
remaining in Sicily. The park encompasses a remarkable variety of environments, from
the severe, almost surreal, summit to deserts of lava and alpine forests.
Sights & Activities
The southern approach to Mt Etna presents the easier ascent to the
craters
. The AST bus
from Catania drops you off at
Rifugio Sapienza
(1923m) from where a
cable car
( 095 91 41 41;
www.funiviaetna.com
; one way/return €14.50/27, incl bus & guide €51; 9am-4.30pm)
runs up the mountain
to 2500m. From the upper cable-car station it's a 3½- to four-hour return trip up the wind-
ing track to the authorised crater zone (2920m). Make sure you leave enough time to get
up
and
down before the last cable car leaves at 4.45pm. Or, you can pay the extra €24 for
a guided 4WD tour to take you up from the cable car to the crater zone.
An alternative ascent is from
Piano Provenzano
(1800m) on Etna's northern flank. This
area was severely damaged during the 2002 eruptions, as still evidenced by the bleached
