Etna Excursions

• Classic (4 Hours)

Meet your driver at the established place. Your journey begins with a highway drive to the town of Giarre and continues up along the southern slopes of the volcano, starting your Etna Excursion

You will pass through the small village of Santa Venerina, renowned for the wines and distillates that are produced there and among which is the famous “Fuoco dell’Etna”, whose alcohol content almost reaches 70% abv. Along the way, you might notice the cracks caused by a violent eruption in October 1992, which also caused a major earthquake. Etna Excursion

You will pass by the façade of the Chiesa del Sacro Cuore di Gesù, one of the most important in the area. Next is the village of Zafferana Etnea, renowned for the many shops manufacturing and selling honey. It will be possible to stop for a free taste of local products (olive oil, olives, honey etc.)

Your next stop will be at the famous hardened lava flow originated by the 1992 eruption, when the lava flow stopped only 700 metres off the village centre, on 27^th May 1992.

That eruption, which began on 14^th December 1991 and ended on 30^th March 1993, was the longest eruption that has ever been documented. Local people believe that the eruption miraculously stopped after they took out the statue of the Madonna della Provvidenza and carried it toward (and against) the lava flow that threatened to bury the villages.

The statue can still be seen right where the lava flow stopped.  Your driver will take you further up the Etna slopes, driving by other flows of hardened lava and extinguished craters and will stop at the Rifugio Sapienza, on the southern side of the mountain, at the height of 1910 metres a.s.l.  Once there, you will be able to take a walk around the Silvestri Craters, which originated in 1892. Enjoy some free time to have a drink or a coffee or browse the souvenir shops where you can find all sorts of handcrafted lava souvenirs. Etna Excursion

• Extended (8 hours) 
• Once at the Rifugio Sapienza, you can choose two of the following options:1) Buying tickets for the ascent to the summit craters (cable car ride + 4×4 minibuses + guide) OR for a trekking with an alpine guide along one of the many trails on the cone of the volcano.2) (Recommended) Tasting local products and wine at a local winery (tasting to be paid at the chosen winery);3) Short visit of the Alcantara Gorges.