Zafferana Etnea ... an abundance of Honey

October 30, 2015

Ottobrata ... every Sunday every October

Zafferana Etnea is a pretty town on the slopes of Mount Etna and is one of the last towns before you reach Rifugio Sapienza – Etna Nord, the Northern gateway to the summit of the volcano.

The atmosphere is very peaceful and slow with comfortable temperatures even in summer due its height 600 metres above sea level. It is well worth a stop when visiting Mount Etna as the route up to Etna Nord passes close by the town.

In 1992 an eruption threatened to reach some local houses, the faithful residents of Zafferana gathered up the town’s statue of Our Lady of Providence which dates back to the 18^th Century and marched with it ahead of the lava flow and miraculously the flow stopped. In Piazza Umberto I the statue is preserved in the cathedral.

Across the square is a vantage point which overlooks the town’s public gardens full of exotic trees and beautiful fountains. From here the view is unique, you will feel as if you are suspended between the sky and the sea, the view sweeps from the Gulf of Syracuse in the South up to Calabria on the mainland and across the sparkling Ionian Sea.

October is always a beautiful month to visit Sicily due to the Autumn harvest and mild temperatures.

Every October Zafferana Etnea plays host to Ottobrata a trade show and cultural event which happens every Sunday throughout the month. The peaceful atmosphere is invaded by visitors from all over the island who come to see traditional Sicilian arts and crafts and taste typical produce from Mount Etna such as Cheeses, Meats, Seasonal Fruits, Olive Oil, Wines and in particular Honey which the town is most famous for.

The Honey (Miele) produced in Zafferana is made from the Sicilian Black Bee, these bees are very proactive even in high temperatures up to 40 degrees when other species of bees stop producing.

Italians refer to honey as Millefiori (thousand’s of flowers).

Most of the honey is made from Orange Blossom nectar, but there is also honey made from eucalyptus and wild flowers. Orange Blossom Honey is my particular favourite.

Well worth a visit is The Beekeeper’s House Museum where the farm Miele di Sicilia is located. The owners are welcoming and show you where they live and how they produce honey. It is an incredible journey into a magical world of these tiny insects from which they also produce royal jelly and bees wax. Honey tasting is also part of the experience. It is a fun place to visit especially with children. Visit their website www.casamuseodellapicoltore.it

It is easy to forget whilst in Zafferana actually how close you are to the summit of Mount Etna. The sense of appeasing the volcano’s god still survives in the town, after finding his farmhouse in the path of the 1992 eruption and before abandoning his home a local resident left bread, cheese and wine “to satisfy the tired and hungry mountain” …. even god’s of destruction need food and rest.

I would definitely reccommend stopping at Zafferana Etnea on your Excursion to Mount Etna.

Etna can be experienced in many ways from self drive to coach excursions, escorted trips with a private driver or a 4x4 jeep adventure with a certified Etna guide.

Search my Blog archive for more of my Etna adventures.

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