Mount Etna with Etna People

An offer to go to Etna is always one I cannot refuse ...

From our Sicilian home in Giardini Naxos in less than an hour we can reach the lower craters of the volcano by car and it is a car ride that was always enjoyed by our dog Daisy before she crossed rainbow bridge and one that is now enjoyed by our new rescue puppy Duke. Both dogs love the lower slopes of the volcano, the volcanic terrain and the pine forests which create a wonderful dog walk full of four legged adventures.

When my brother decided that he wanted to come home with me this summer he said that he had always wanted to “get up close and personal with Etna” and with his love of geology and volcanology I knew that it would be best to book an organised tour with a qualified Etna guide to do a moderately easy trek on higher terrain with an expert. A perfect excuse to dust off my trekking shoes that I always keep in my Sicilian wardrobe.

The most requested excursions in Sicily are to Mount Etna and there are many ways that you can experience our volcano. Mount Etna is the largest and most active volcano in Europe and its awesome presence dominates eastern Sicily. The volcano has several vast craters and a height of just over 3,330 metres.

To the Greeks it was home to Hephaestus the god of fire who used the volcanoes flames and lava to forge Zeus’s thunderbolts. To the Arabs it was known as Mongibello (Mountain of Mountains). In modern times she is known lovingly as “Mamma Etna”.

Today the Parco dell’Etna encompasses much of the volcano, encouraging locals to produce wine, cheese, honey and fruit in the rich lava soil.

For visitors Mount Etna offers breath taking views that raise your spirits and she offers great trekking opportunities.

I decided to book a full day excursion with the company “Etna People”, the day would include a licensed Etna guide, a two hour hike, Etna wine tasting and a visit to one of my favourite places Gole Alcantara. The tour would cater for a maximum of eight guests.

Owning a house in Sicily I have learned that one of the luxuries in life is waking up and checking on Etna with a coffee cup in my hand each morning. I woke up on the morning of our trip and walked out of my kitchen onto our balcony to see what kind of mood Etna was in. The past week or so Etna had been very active sending fountains of lava high up into the sky and the ash emission's headed south of the island reaching as far as the North African coastline causing Catania Airport to close temporarily. Thankfully the ash missed our house on this occasion.

Etna’s volcanic activity has been increasing recently and many Etna guides had been capturing stunning images of lava spewing out of the largest crater called the Voragine crater. It is the first time that this crater has been active in four years. The lava has been flowing into the Bocca Nuova crater which means “new mouth”.

On the morning of our trip Etna looked tranquil and relaxed with just a few clouds hanging above her. I was ready for my next volcanic adventure.

Whilst most guests are usually picked up from close to their accommodation the lovely team at Etna People arranged for us to meet our guide outside our local butchers shop at the end of our road. Our guide and host for the day was Daniele. We were joined by six other guests, a couple from USA and a family from Belgium which was cool because my great grandparents were originally from Belgium.

As Daniele drove our minibus onto the autostrada, then up the lower slopes of Etna through the towns of Piedimonte Etneo and Linguaglossa he explained the day ahead. We would be stopping first to visit a lava cave, then we would embark on a two hour trek on Monti Sartorius on the northern eastern side of Etna followed by wine tasting at a local winery then we would visit the Gole Alcantara.

First we stopped at the winery so that guests needing trekking shoes could swap their foot attire free of charge, also here we were required to sign a disclaimer form to agree that we understood the risks of trekking on Etna. The vines in the vineyard were beautifully boasting grapes that will be harvested this autumn. New wine in progress.

This would be my second trekking experience on Etna. My first was a few years back at Rifugio Citelli, which is the starting point for trekking on the eastern flank of Mount Etna, where myself, Mr K and Daisy trekked to a lava tunnel called the Grotto Serracozzo. I was quite pleased with myself at the end of this trek when our Etna guide slapped me on the back and said “Well done Sarah, you just completed a trail that people use to train for triathlons”. Maybe the thought of wine tasting after my trek gave me the incentive and so I kept this in mind.

After we signed the disclaimer forms we all jumped back into our minibus ready to explore a lava cave.

After driving through the Ragabo Forest and past ancient lava flows we reached Grotta dei Ladroni (Thieves Cave) also known as Grotta delle Neve (Snow Cave). Lava caves are the result of surface solidification of a lava flow during the last stages of its activity. This cave had two entrances in and out. We adorned some hard hats with lamps on and made our descent down a steep slope into the cave. Whilst the temperature in Sicily was in the low 30℃ the cave was a lot cooler and a refreshing respite. Daniele explained to us how the tunnels were formed by drawing sketches into the floor of volcanic sand. He also explained that the caves, known to locals as “nivieri”, where once used to accumulate snow to be sold in cities during the hottest months of the year and of course all you Sicily lovers will know how the beloved Sicilian breakfast of granita was born?

In the 660’s AD the Arabs began their conquest of Sicily. This was very thirsty work conquering the island. They brought Sarbut (sorbetto in Italian, sherbert in English) with them and needed somewhere to chill it so they took snow from Mount Etna and stored it in the caves and flavoured it with Sicilian lemons which are in abundance on the slopes of the volcano and so the granita was born. Etna is like a natural freezer, from October to March you will see snow which winter winds blow into crevices and lava caves which become insulated by volcanic ash.

After our cave visit we ascended up some steps that had been carved out of the lava rock where we were welcomed by a bear carved out of lava. Awwwww, I love bears.

It was now time to prepare for our trek on Monti Sartorius.

As we left our minibus behind we made sure we applied sunblock, wore a hat and had plenty of water with us.

Passing white birch trees Daniele showed and explained to us the flora and fauna of the terrain (he studied biology at university) that we were trekking on including the Etna juniper bush. We all know that juniper makes the popular tipple gin and a nice gin and tonic on ice would have gone down well at that moment as fuel as we began our trek. In the last few years the Etna juniper berry has been utilised to distill some great volcanic gin, you must try it. The craters in this area are known as “buttonhole craters” and it was the impressive lava flow of 1865 that gave rise to Monti Sartorius which was named after the famous German scholar and geologist Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen who was one of the first people to report on major eruptions on Etna. On our trek the views up to the high areas of Etna and down to the coastline were stunning with Taormina and the Nebrodi Mountains clearly visible. I could also see across to Piano Provenzano where we usually walk our dogs on Etna. It was fantastic walking on extinct craters and the paths were quite simple to walk in my trekking shoes. The landscape was incredible showing the destructive power of lava flow but also the beauty of the volcano and surrounding countryside.

After our amazing trek we headed off to our next destination the Emilio Sciacca Winery and Vineyard where we were rewarded with wine tasting. The story of Emilio Sciacca Etna Wine began in 2015. The winery sits within one hectare of vineyards that has an ancient palmento (wine press) where the wine tasting takes place. Here we enjoyed a light lunch of local delicacies including lasagne, caponata, parmigiana di melanzane, frittata, couscous and meats and cheeses. We tasted an Etna white wine and an Etna red wine. My favourite was the Rossobrillo Naked which is produced with 100% Nerello Mascalese grapes and contains no solfites, hence why it is called “naked”. I could not resist buying a bottle for Mr K, who was looking after Duke back in London, so he can enjoy it when we return to our Sicilian house in September. We also enjoyed Paste di Mandorla (soft almond cookies) with a delicious almond wine which the winery also produces. I can never resist an almond wine.

By now my tired feet were begging to be released from my trekking shoes and they were looking forward to being dipped into Venus’s icy waters of the Alcantara River. As advised by the Etna People team I had brought some flip flops with me and I had worn my bikini under my clothing. You will need flip flops or similar footwear to visit the gorge as the river bed is very stony which can be a bit painful on your tootsies.

As we drove from the winery towards the gorge we passed through some of the most stunning scenery in Sicily under the watchful eye of Etna, through the Alcantara Valley and the medieval hilltop town of Castiglione di Sicilia, who by the way is offering homes for sale in the €1 regeneration scheme, and Francavilla di Sicilia whilst Daniele played the haunting anthem by Dire Straits legend Mark Knopler “The Lights of Taormina”. If you have never heard this song I suggest you download it now. I never tire of this drive, it’s the best.

The Alcantara Gorge (Gole Alcantara) is an absolute must visit and as I mentioned before it is one of mine and my dogs favourite places. The fluvial park of Alcantara covers a large region between the medieval town of Randazzo and Giardini Naxos. The name Alcantara derives from the Arabic word 'Al Qantarah' which means arched bridge. The formation of the riverbed of the Alcantara River dates back to about 300,000 years ago, however the current aspect of the river in the section of the gorge dates back to formations that occurred in the last 8000 years. The gorge is a natural monument of basalt rock that was created by a volcanic eruption around 2400BC. The lava flow flooded the entire valley of the Alcantara River as far as Giardini Naxos. Whilst still white hot a crack opened in the lava taking on the appearance of a gorge and gave rise to deep irregular fractures which intersected, they formed structures known as "woodpile" (horizontal), "harp" (slightly arched) and "rosette" (radial course). Most formations are "reed organ" (vertical). Later the waters feeding the Alcantara River flowed through creating the gorge we know today. The formations reach over 30 metres high in places and give life to an exciting spectacular canyon gushing with water.

According to Greek Mythology the god Vulcan fell in love with the goddess Venus and she loved him in return. To seal their love Vulcan made the waters of Alcantara a sacred place where the goddess could bathe always in warm water all year until one day their love affair ended and in a moment of rage and anger to make Venus pay for her betrayal he made the waters cold and icy and believe me it really is freezing even in high summer.

The gorges beach is reached by either a downward footpath or by lifts, there are also trails you can follow with scenic views of the gorge from up above surrounded by much beautiful flora and fauna. Most visitors, tourists and locals make a day of it by packing a picnic, swimsuits and beach towels choosing to spend the day relaxing and sunbathing as an alternative to the nearby beaches of Taormina and Giardini Naxos, choosing to sunbath and cool off in the icy waters just like the goddess Venus.

I have never visited the gorge in high summer and when do visit I am usually at the other end of a dog leash so on this occasion I took full advantage of the river and walked through the crack of the gorge where there are waterfalls cascading down which you can stand under and have a natural geological shower. The perfect way to end a fun filled volcanic day.

We had a wonderful day with Daniele who kept us entertained with his superb knowledge and his good sense of humour. His passion for Etna and his island shone throughout the day.

A big thank you to Daniele for looking after us and a big thank you to Claudia, Guilia and Valeria for helping me arrange an adventure of a lifetime. I would highly recommend Etna People for your Etna and Sicily experiences.

Also a BIG thank you and much respect to our beloved Mamma Etna.

My Etna People magnet that I was rewarded with now has pride of place on my fridge in my Sicilian kitchen.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Never go walking on Mount Etna alone unless you are experienced hikers, go with a trained guide like Daniele and his fellow guides at Etna People. Wear different layers of clothing so you can adapt to the many sudden changes in the weather, when we visited the Sicilian sun was hot but at other times there could be rain or snow and strong icy winds can blow down from the peak. Wear sturdy footwear for the harsh lava terrain. Take a hat, sunscreen, plenty of water and take a spirit of adventure with you.

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