Mount Etna — Attraction in Castiglione di Sicilia

Travel to Mount Etna on the whiff of the bus drivers oily Rag! Part 1

Travelling to Mount Etna is a great trip, but it can cost you a packet if you take the tour using a tour Company with a guide, we were quoted 219 euro for two for the day Trvelling from Syracuse in Sicily. You can make it cheaper if you go from Taomina where the average price for two is 66 euro.

Here is how to do the trip starting at 6 euro!

Mount Etna itself is an active volcano not really a mountain at all, the last eruption was in 2008 and the lava cools pretty quickly, so don't expect to see any fireworks display. Still the trip is stunning.

Etna itself is a world heritage listed site and is situated in a park area in between Catarnia in the south and Taormina in the North. Catrania is a commercial port town with very little going for it as a destination, so don't plan to spend any time there trying to see the sights. However you will need to travel there to take the trip. There are basically two trips, one is a train journey that skirts around the base of eta in a circular route, stopping at various towns on the way, a list of towns are shown below.

This trip is well worth taking if you are not too active and want an easy sightseeing tour with visits to some pretty local towns on route. However I recommend the second option which is a bus which takes you to a small village called Ripenzo which is situated at 2900 metres above sea level about just over half way up the mountain.

There is only one bus per day which leaves from the AST bus stop outside the railway station. It is a white AST bus and it leaves at 8-30 in the morning and returns at 4-30 in the afternoon, this is the bus to catch. You will need to purchase your tickets from the tabachi on the main road opposite the AST bus station, it is in Via Luis Revenga and you need to buy AST tickets to go from Catania to S. Ripenzo. Then go to the bus departure point around 8-15 am. There is absolutely no information regarding this bus at the bus station, but it is a white AST bus which should Say Etna at the bottom of the front windscreen.

If you cannot see the destination on the bus ask the AST Driver for Etna at S. Ripenzo, make sure you don't just say Etna or he will send you on a wild goose chase to the Etna bus lines office a few streets back.

The journey takes about 2 hours with a mysterious 20 minute stop in Nicolosi, still you can stretch your legs here. Upon arrival at S. Ripenzo jump off the bus.

From here you have two options. There is a cabin situated right next to the spot where you get off the bus, which offers long walking excursions up the mountain taking about 5 hours, they call it the long tour. If you are game take this one, but prepared there is about 2 hours of stiff walking and it gets pretty cold up there, so take warm clothes and ladies, no high heels, you need walking boots for this one.

If you do not have suitable clothes they will charge you for the hire. The trip costs 50 euro 60 if you hire the clothes.

The tour consists of a cable car up to 3100 metres then by jeep plus a 2 hour walk up to a crater nera the summit at 3300 metres. Unless there has been a recent eruption, you are unlikely to see any action, not even smouldering.

The next option they call the short tour, for this one you have to walk up to the cable car start point which is obvious to see, up the hill at the back of the excursion cabin. From here you can take the cable car for the short trip up to a plateau at 3100 metres which costs 27 euro or you can take the cable car plus Jeep and guide for a short trip up the mountain which will cost you 51 euro.

My pick is none of these, for free you can see breathtaking views of the craters and surrounding scenery. From the excursion office, start walking around the road so that all the souvenir shops are to your right and you can see ahead of you the Silvestri...

Mount Etna, Italy

Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano located on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, near the city of Catania. It is one of the most studied and monitored volcanoes in the world and is the highest and most voluminous volcano in Europe, standing at approximately 3,350 meters (10,990 feet), though its height varies due to frequent eruptions.

Geological Features

Type: Stratovolcano with multiple summit craters, parasitic cones, and extensive lava flows.

Formation: Mount Etna has a complex geological history spanning hundreds of thousands of years, with activity recorded since at least 1500 BCE.

Tectonics: Etna sits above the convergent boundary of the African and Eurasian plates, influenced by the subduction of the African plate beneath the Eurasian plate.

The volcano exhibits both effusive and explosive eruptions, producing lava flows, pyroclastic materials, and volcanic ash.

Volcanic Activity

Etna is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, with nearly continuous activity over decades.

Its eruptions can range from mild lava flows that reshape the slopes to explosive events that eject ash plumes into the atmosphere.

The volcano is extensively monitored for seismic activity, ground deformation, gas emissions, and thermal anomalies, making it a key site for volcanology research.

Environmental and Ecological Features

Vegetation zones vary with altitude: lower slopes are fertile and cultivated with vineyards, orchards, and forests; higher altitudes support hardy shrubs and sparse alpine vegetation.

Lava flows create a mosaic of habitats, including pioneer species adapted to extreme conditions.

The volcano’s eruptions have enriched soils, making the surrounding region agriculturally productive despite the hazards.

Human Interaction and Hazards

Mount Etna is a major tourist destination, offering hiking, skiing in winter, and guided visits to craters.

Hazards include lava flows, pyroclastic flows, ashfall, earthquakes, and volcanic gas emissions. Communities around the volcano rely on detailed hazard mapping and monitoring systems for safety.

The volcano has a rich cultural history and is intertwined with local mythology, agriculture, and scientific exploration.

Scientific Significance

Etna provides a natural laboratory for studying volcanic processes, magma dynamics, lava chemistry, and geothermal activity.

Its frequent eruptions allow researchers to investigate volcano monitoring techniques and hazard mitigation strategies.

The volcano also contributes to understanding subduction-related volcanism and the interactions between tectonics, magma evolution, and...

This is an absolute must see when in Sicily!

We took the long drive from Cefalu to see Mount Etna (south side) and it was totally worth it! If you’re driving, just remember to add extra time as our last hour was spent driving on quite poor locals roads with lots of potholes. Once we reached the mountain, the roads became much better but then became extremely bendy with some hairpin bends which you must navigate together with all the tour buses and cyclists on the road.

We spent 80 euros taking the cable car and a 4x4 bus and then walking with a guide to some craters. The experience took 2 and a half hours and we bought tickets online so we skipped the queue. We bought the tickets on the ‘funivia etna’ website. I’m slightly afraid of heights but I found the cable car to be extremely safe.

Taking the bus and walking to the craters was thrilling and felt like entering a whole different world or being on a different planet! The guide didn’t give us much information but it was still an interesting experience. You reached 3000 meters but we didn’t have any issues with the altitude. It really is quite cold once you get off the cable car ( even in summer) but you can hire jackets and shoes if you need to alternatively bring your own jackets, wear/ bring lots of layers, comfortable hiking shoes/ trainers and I would suggest bringing a beanie as the wind can be quite cold.

There is a cafe when you get off the cable car with great sandwiches and food but you can also eat at the car park where there are lots of restaurants, shops and clean bathrooms.

If you don’t want to take the cable car or walk up the mountain, even just driving to the car park is quite an experience and although you won’t see any of the craters, you will see hardened lava which is quite something to see.

Just remember that if you want to take the cable car, to ensure you enter ‘Funivia dell’Etna’ into the GPS to get to the south side parking area. You can also do amazing hikes/ walks on the mountain or even take quad bikes. So there is more than enough things to do on...