Mount Etna, from the sea to the sky is Sicily’s fiery heart, and is the highest active volcano on the Euro-Asian plate.
Close to Catania and Taormina
Rising to a height of 3,400 metres, Mount Etna stands thirty-five kilometres from the centre of Catania and fifty-six from the spectacular little town of Taormina. Located in the Etna Park, it is a unique natural environment on 59,000 hectares with an extraordinary landscape. Ascending to the top all kinds of views and vegetation alternate from forests to broom, pine and birch, almost as if you were in northern Europe, until you reach the incomparable scenery around the upper crater.
A UNESCO natural environment
“A muntagna,” as the islanders call it entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013 in the category of natural environments joining the Dolomites, the Aeolian Islands, and Monte San Giorgio. The motivation reads: “Etna is one of the most active iconic volcanoes in the world and an extraordinary example of continuous geological processes and volcanic formations. The stratovolcano is characterized by almost continuous eruptive activity from its summit craters and fairly frequent eruptions and lava flows ...” In winter it snows up there, and the white slopes can even be seen from Catania, Siracusa and Taormina, and often lasting until summer. And of course there is skiing. 
The Mareneve cycle trail and an exceptional wine
For those who want to go all the way up to the top, there is a cable car and a series of trekking routes of all levels on the craters. To be done preferably with the numerous guides and tours that leave from the neighbouring towns. The road up to the summit of the volcano is the famous Mareneve, recognized by National Geographic as one of the 70 most evocative routes to be cycled. On the way up there is the Grotta dei Ladroni, a tunnel of lava flow where, equipped with helmets and torches, it is possible enter and find out about Etna’s history and geological conformation. For the more adventurous there is horseback riding, quad biking and Etna Wine Tours, to sample Sicilian foods and wines. An exceptional wine is in fact produced on its slopes, given the fertility and typicality of its soil resulting in a wine with hints of red fruits, strawberries, raspberries and floral notes, which derive from the particular and unique characteristics of the lava soil.
