Ferrovia Circumetnea — Attraction in Catania

We really enjoyed this journey around the base of Mt Etna. It is difficult to find a lot of information about this service online (see links to what we found below). At the moment (2025), the section of rail line between Catania & Paterno is being repaired and the train service for this section is replaced by a bus service. We started the journey at Riposto and had to change trains at Randazzo. The first section (Riposto to Randazzo) was on a modern train while the train from Randazzo to Paterno was an older train (which was good because the windows opened on this older train which was better for photos of Etna and the views of Etna were a lot better). IMPORTANT NOTE: This train service does NOT run on Sunday's (we found that out the hard way in 2023 and came back to Sicily this year just to do the rain trip).

A copy of the current (Aug 2025) timetable is attached.

There are only a few good resources available online to help you plan your journey and when I initially posted links within this review, Google Maps declined to post my review because it contained links so you will need to look for those rare few online...

Our trip was sadly rather poor from the company and saved by others. We started at metrostation giovanni intending to go to nessima where a bus would go to paterno to then take the train. This was due to maintenance, which is fine. But a local warned us and told us to go to borgo first. Thankfully we did since the ticket station at nesima was closed.

There was also no indication at nesima where to take the replacement bus to paterno. A busdriver from a different company showed us the way.

Finally at paterno we took the train up and around the etna. A beautiful trip for sure. At radanzo we had to swap to a different train to continue around and downwards to giara. Sadly this train didn't go.

0 communication from FCV and thankfully some other people managed to pick it up and warn us that we had to take a replacement bus. So at best we got to ride a third of the actual railway on the train and if people didn't warn us we would have stranded at radanzo.

Absolutly dreadful communication from FCV and they really should be doing better. 1 star for them, but a 2nd for...

Perhaps one for the enthusiasts! Although I would not have usually put myself in that category I did enjoy the round Etna experience until we reached the end and then had to wait an hour for a Tren Italia train back to Catania!! All in, including the walk from central Catania to the metro before catching the Circumetnea at Borgo and a (compulsory!) stop at Randazzo plus the wait I mentioned, it took about 6.5 hours . It is of course possible to travel only part of you wish. Our round ticket cost €6.80 plus €3.90 to get back from Giarre Riposto on TrenItalia. The Circumetnea is now a modern air conditioned affair albeit tiny with not much leg room. It goes (almost) all the way round Etna but it's not very scenic until you pass the modern urban sprawl after Adrano. Then you are among the pistachio trees, vines and prickly pears, a world away from Catania! It can be surprisingly hard to spot Etna's peak among all the foliage passing your window but when you...