A Soggy Sicilian Ramble on Mt Etna

I had visions of flying my drone to film sweeping panoramas as we hiked along Mt Etna’s crater but alas, bad weather meant I settled for some misty photos and a soggy but still enjoyable ramble. Sicily equals sunshine unless you happen to visit during a week long rainstorm, which I’m assured is unusual. So, just our luck but we didn’t let it dampen on our day out to Mt Etna too much. What helped was having a very good guide who led us through the forest to lava caves, gave a lesson in off-road driving, and walked with us along one of the volcano’s numerous old lava flows. It still was fun although we never actually saw Mt Etna’s peak through the mist and rain.

The Forest and Lava Caves

It was raining quite heavily when we embarked on our walk. Our first stop was in the woods where we visited lava caves that the volcano is well known for. These are caves that are essentially formed when molten lava flows through walls that have already hardened. Mt Etna also has silver birch trees which are unusual as these trees are normally not found this far south but understandably, the cooler climate on Mt Etna probably allows for these trees to flourish. They are not found elsewhere on Sicily.

The start of our ramble through Mt Etna’s woods

A silver birch trees among others in the mist

Watching our steps down into the lava cave

Along a Crater

I have seen photos of what our walk around the Piano Provenzana area of Etna would have looked like on a clear day. There should have been wide views of the mountain all the way to the sea. Alas, with the mist, the views became much more micro. The special thing about this is that it did not lessen the drama of the volcano in any way. We could still see the lava flows and the shape of the old craters and lava frozen in time made it look like we were walking into an abyss. The walk itself was not particularly difficult with only a few bits of ascent to test my cardio fitness.

Walking in Sicily — Making the most of our misty day – starting our walk toward Etna’s lower craters

A tree singed by a previous lava flow still stands and grows

Dramatic views because we can’t see what’s down there

Mt Etna's landscape — More lava scapes – grass is starting to grow in the lava

Back in time for a late lunch

From our base in Zafferano Etna, the ride to the start point of the walks didn’t take that long as we were on the base of the volcano. We were originally meant to have lunch at one of the rifugios (mountain chalet) on the volcano but with the abbreviated walk, we got back to our hotel early in time to dry out and linger in front of the fire place. There are lots of good places to eat in the area. On a nicer day, a drive out to Cave Ox in the town of Solicchiata on the northern side of Etna is highly recommended – great pastas for lunch and pizza for dinner. It’s also got a good selection of local wines. Our Etna guide gave us a great recommendation – Pietra Dolce Etna Rosso is an excellent red. Another reason to return.