Page 323 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

in which case a replacement bus service operates.

Etna Nord

If you have a car, head to the town of LINGUAGLOSSA and drive through the town
following the brown signs to Etna Nord. There are several picnic places with

barbecues along the road, and buying some good local meat before you leave
Linguaglossa is probably the only reason to stop in town.

The road up the mountain is at its most spectacular in winter, when the peak of Etna
is covered in snow. As you drive along, look out for ungainly lumps of solidified lava
colonized with lichen, protruding through the undergrowth. Beyond Rifugio Ragabo

(1425m), follow the sign for Piano Provenzana, whose hotels and ski-lifts were
devastated by the most recent major eruption of 2002. Today the scorched skeletons of
trees still protrude from a vast river of solidified lava. Going back to the main road,
continue until you come to a side road marked Rifugio Citelli (1750m). On a clear day
the views stretch across the Nébrodi mountains, to Taormina, and across the Ionian

Sea, to the Aspromonte mountains in Calabria. The Refugio isn’t always staffed, but
when it is, basic food is available, as are treks up the volcano (snow shoes are
provided during winter). The descent takes you through a black moonscape of lava and
back along the foothills of Etna to Linguaglossa.

ETNA NORD BY ORGANIZED TOUR

If you don’t have your own vehicle, you’ll need to take a taxi from Linguaglossa to
Piano, from where tours aboard 4WD minibuses operated by STAR (daily May–
Oct, weather permitting; 095 371 333 or 347 495 7091) shuttle up and down the
upper slopes. At present there is just one option, costing €48.50: a two-hour
excursion that brings you to Pizzi Deneri (at a height of 2800m), where there is a

10min pause; you then descend to 2400m for another stop, then down again to 2100m
for a 30min walk to a minor crater. If the current regulations change (the situation on
the slopes is constantly monitored), there may be other options that bring you closer
to the main crater (3200m). The early morning and early evening tours are the best –
Etna at dawn or sunset is a spectacular sight – but need booking. The minibuses
don’t run to a fixed timetable; they simply take off when full, and the operation is a
lower-key affair than on the southern side.

You can also join an organized hike to the summit from Linguaglossa or Piano
Provenzana – contact Guide Etna Nord for details: Via Roma 93, Linguaglossa (
095 777 4502 or 348 012 5167, guidetnanord.com). Solo expeditions are not
encouraged.