 |
From the A*List Deals Weekly Newsletter
|
|
 |
 |
Mount Etna Driving/Rail Tour
Excerpt from National Geographic Traveler: Sicily guidebook
Text by Tim Jepson Photo by Tino Soriano/National Geographic
|
|
|
The Circumetnea railroad offers fine views of Mount Etna and its lovely environs. |
The best way to get an idea of Etna's enormous size and experience its remarkable scenic diversity is to drive or take the Circumetnea railroad from Catania (it leaves from its own private station), either following a clockwise circular tour around the volcano or concluding the excursion at Taormina.
*Bolded names and numbers in the text below correspond with our map of this tour.
Download Tour Map
(To download this PDF, you will need the free Adobe Reader.)
Buy the National Geographic Traveler: Sicily guidebook
The train leaves from a station north of Catania's city center (Via Caronda 352, tel +39 095 541 111), not the main Stazione Centrale, to which it is linked by metro. It takes about 3.5 hours (with connections required at Randazzo on some runs) to reach its terminus at the coastal village of Riposto.
From here you can pick up connections on the main state (Trenitalia) network north or south to Taormina or Catania respectively. It's a delightful ride, with many superb views of the volcano, but for flexibility and the chance to explore properly, it is better to have a car.
The following drive can be picked up at several points, but is described from Catania and does not mention the many minor roads that access Etna's upper slopes. These are all highly recommended, especially those to the Rifugio Sapienza from Adrano (see below) and to Nicolosi (Visitor information, Via Vittorio Emanuele II 45, tel +39 095 914 488), home to the visitor center for the Parco Regionale dell'Etna (Visitor information, Via Etnea 107, tel +39 095 821 111) that protects much of Etna. Also worthwhile are those to Piano Provenzana from Milo and Linguaglossa.
From Catania (1) (Visitor information, Via Cimarosa 10-12, tel +39 095 730 6255) take the S 121 road west to Paternò (2), known for its orange groves and restored Norman castle (tel +39 095 621 109, closed Mon. & Sat.-Sun. p.m.), and then follow the S 284 to Adrano (3). Founded in 400 B.C., this village is one of Etna's most ancient settlements. It boasts a castle built in 1070 by the Norman ruler Roger I. Inside is a charming archaeological museum (Piazza Umberto I, tel +39 095 769 2660, closed Mon. & Sun. p.m.). Stop by the adjacent Chiesa Madre, a Norman church with 16 basalt columns, possibly from an ancient Greek temple, then leave town northwest on the S 121 road.
After 5 miles look for signs to the Ponte dei Saraceni (4), a graceful bridge of Roman origin over a peaceful stretch of the Simeto River. Two miles (3.2 km) upstream (walk or drive on minor roads from Adrano) is the beautiful Gola di Simeto, an 8-mile (13 km) gorge formed by lava flows and protected by the Riserva Naturale Ingrottato Lavico del Simeto (nature reserve).
Return to Adrano and pick up the S 284 to Bronte (5), a road that offers some of the drive's best views of Etna. Bronte is the center of Italy's pistachio industry, producing 85 percent of the country's output.
The town's rather drab appearance belies its romantic history. In 1799, Ferdinand IV of Naples presented the dukedom of Bronte to Horatio Nelson in gratitude for the British admiral's help (he had whisked away the king to Palermo just as the attacking French were about to enter Naples). Nelson died before he could take advantage of his gift, although the title and estate passed through the marriage of his niece to the British Bridport family, which retained the estate until as recently as 1981.
The Nelson and the Bridport estate, the Abbazia di Maniace (tel +39 095 690 018, open daily), lies just north of Bronte. Take the minor road left (west) off the gloriously high Bronte-to-Randazzo road at Maletto (6) (renowned for its strawberries), where you can see the 1823 lava flow that came close to destroying the town.
The Abbazia began life as a convent in 1173, though today the building resembles an English country house, complete with appropriate (and beautiful) furnishings and a pretty English-style garden. Bronte also gave its name to the 19th-century English writers Emily, Charlotte, and Ann Brontë, their father—a passionate devotee of Nelson—having changed his surname from Brunty in honor of his hero.
Randazzo (7), the closest settlement to Etna's summit (less than 10 miles/16 km away), has miraculously escaped destruction, though it was badly damaged by Allied bombing in 1943—the Nazis having made it a defensive redoubt as they sought to hold Sicily. As a result, much in the lava-black village is restored, though the streets retain a brooding medieval air. The 15th-century church of Santa Maria is worth a visit for its strange, dark lava columns. So, too, is the private Museo Vagliasindi (tel +39 095 799 1611), a mostly archaeological collection housed in the town's former castle and prison.
From Randazzo the road and railroad curve eastward, passing through some of the prettiest scenery in the Etna foothills. Just beyond Passopisciaro is a colossal lava flow from the 1981 eruption, but note also the olive and other trees and vegetation that flourish in the region's fertile soils.
Farther east, Linguaglossa (8) (Visitor information, Piazza Annunziata 7, tel +39 095 643 094) is the main center for exploring Etna's northern slopes, and busy ski resort. From here take the minor road south toward Piano Provenzana, being sure to visit the Castagno dei Cento Cavalli or the Chestnut of a Hundred Horses (tel +39 095 968 772, closed Mon.-Fri.; call to arrange guided tour during the week), half a mile (0.8 km) before the hamlets of Fornazzo and Sant'Alfio. More than 2,000 years old, it is one of Italy's largest and most venerable trees. It takes its name from the legend that Queen Joan of Anjou once sheltered beneath its branches with a hundred horsemen. The tale may not be so far-fetched, as the combined circumference of the three linked trunks is a staggering 196 feet (60 m).
From Fornazzo the road runs south to Zafferana Etnea (9), a passable resort surrounded by vineyards and orange groves (it is renowned nationally for its orange-blossom honey). If time and weather allow, you could drive west from here to the Rifugio Sapienza on a steep and spectacular road returning by minor roads, or head to the A 18 autostrada to return to Catania or Taormina.
|
|
|
Center for Sustainable DestinationsLearn how to preserve the authenticity of the places you love.
» Click Here
National Geographic Traveler Places of a Lifetime
Our guides lead you to the best in ten world-class cities with photo galleries, walking tours, and what to know before you go.
» Click Here
The National Geographic Traveler Reader Panel
Are you a real traveler? Someone who cares about authenticity? Who has a point of view about where we should travel—and how? Then tell us what you think and be eligible to win a trip to almost anywhere in the United States.
» Click Here
|
|
