After living and working as a private teacher for two kids on a small catamaran already for two months we sailed the Strait of Messina and anchored in the harbour of Palermo, Sicily.
Messina – Sailing the Strait of Messina
First view of Mt. Etna
Getting up Mount Etna
A 4 hours drive and an accident at the parking area (we just stopped the car in a parking space when a bus drove by too close and crashed our rental car) later, we were ready for our adventure to conquer Mount Etna (Etna, Mongibello). Mount Etna, Europe´s highest and most active volcano. On the way up to the parking area there is enough proof that the volcano is active. Destroyed houses and white smoke at the top of Mount Etna.
Arriving at the parking area you take a gondola up to approximately 7.480 feet. Now you get into a bus which brings you to the Torre del Filosofo. Stepping out of the bus in 9.500 ft you feel like stepping on the moon.
Everything around you is black, steaming and you are secluded from the rest of the world. Sicily is hidden behind a ring of clouds.
Only you, the volcano and tourists walking around and getting a glimpse of the smoke coming out of one of the craters.
If you are a hiker you can take a tour up to the top of Mount Etna. We stayed at 7.480 feet and walked to the craters close to the bus station. You´ll never know… The closer we get to the crater the more it smelled like rotten eggs.
Sulfur... It´s not a joke. It really smells like rotten eggs. There are many yellow patches on our way around the crater. After enjoying the amazing view and the black beauty of Mount Etna we headed down again with the bus, stepped into the gondola and made our way to our crashed rental car and headed slowly to Taormina, where you get the best view of Mount Etna from a distance.
Taormina
If you want to feel like being on the moon and back in 4 hours why not take a trip to Europe´s highest volcano with an altitude of 10.922 ft.
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zuletzt aktualisiert am June 6, 2022
Der Ätna ist wirklich grandios! Wir haben den Aufstieg von der Seilbahnstation zu Fuß gewagt – ein langer Marsch, aber lohnenswert!
LG
Jutta
Das waren dann Pi mal Daumen 1450 Höhenmeter. Das war sicher ein sehr laaaaaaaaanger Marsch.Tapfer, tapfer!
I love Mount Etna so much. I used to have a Sicilian boyfriend so we travelled around the island quite a lot, but funnily enough he never took me to Etna. Last year I visited with my husband, and had the most amazing day up and around the mountain. Now I’m hoping to go back next year for backcountry skiing!
Sometimes it´s worth to wait and explore it with your husband and not your ex-boyfriend. 😀 Hope you can make the trip next year and that you will have a great time there again.
My partner is Sicilian and we go to Sicily for the summer every year and every year I request to go back to Etna. She is a magnificent example of Mother Nature and I love trekking up the craters regardless of how much they make my legs ache! 🙂 and your right it is like being on the moon!
That´s great. I would love to see the Mount Etna more often too. Poor legs. 😀
Sounds like a great trip! I went to the top of Vesuvius nearly 30 years ago, but that’s modest in comparison to Etna. Would love to make it there one day…
The Vesuv sound interesting too.
Wow. I love hiking so it would be great to do it with the purpose of seeing Mt Enta. Someday hopefully.
We drove up as far as possible but I´m sure it would be great to hike up all the way. It´s a beautiful area.