Sicily’s manmade wonders pale beside Europe’s highest active volcano. Organised tours from Catania are pricey; it’s much cheaper to visit independently. Etna Sud is the nearest gateway, served by AST bus to 2,000m Rifugio Sapienza (€7 return). An option from here is a cable car over the black-brown, lunar landscape to 2,590 metres (€30 return), then a 4WD ride (extra €40), or arduous two-hour hike, to within 100 metres of the summit. Etna has been quite active this year, so be prepared to change plans: the national park is huge and if some areas are out of bounds, others will have opened up. The landscape is extraordinary, and the views amazing.
Those with a car can avoid commercialised Etna Sud by heading above the town of Linguaglossa, through forests of sweet chestnut and pine, to Etna Nord, with just a handful of gift shops and cafes, and 4WD buses up to the craters (check they are running – concession wrangles each year can mean delays or interruptions). Recent activity means the highest slopes and craters can only be visited with a guide (try Lara Mansfeld,+39 368 663453, etnatrekking.com) but trekking among the lower lava flows, spotting skeletal burned trees and the protruding roof of a buried hotel, makes a low-cost, unforgettable day. Don’t miss Dario Lo Scavo’s shop/gallery near the Nord car park for astonishing images of recent eruptions – he also does guided photography walks.
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