Day one
At the beginning of my trip to Sicily, I stayed in the city of Catania and used this as a base to do day trips around the area.
Mount Etna
On day one of my ultimate itinerary for one week in Sicily without a car, explore the spectacular scenery of Sicily’s famous volcano, Mount Etna. History of Etna etc
I booked onto a small group tour for my trip to Etna, and was very pleased I did. There is a public bus, but it only goes once a day and has a reputation for being very crowded. So I was very glad I chose the small group tour.
Check out some tours here.
The tour started with a drive up to Etna from Catania. The scenery was lovely, with great views up towards Etna from the road.
As we climbed higher, the scenery got more dramatic as trees stopped growing and the lava took over.
Etna Cable Car and crater
After about an hour of driving from central Catania, we reached the base of the cable car. This point is at 2000 metres. At this point, we left the tour bus and went in the cable car up the mountain. The views just got better and better.
The cable car costs 68 euros each, and most tours don’t include the cost of the ticket in the tour, so you need to pay extra for this.
At the top of the cable car, at 2500 metres, we transferred into a 28 seater jeep. We then climbed the dusty roads to 2750 metres. This is as high as you can go on the volcano. We got out and walked around, while the guide told us information about the landscape and past volcanic eruptions.
After another short jeep journey, we reached the point where we could walk around one of the Craters on the volcano. It was just amazing.
I loved the red soil, turned red from the iron oxide. And there were areas where you could see steam and hot gasses coming out from the rocks, and it was hot to touch.
On the way down, the clouds started to roll in, which gave more atmospheric photos as we went back down the cable car and back down the road to Catania.
A lot of Etna tours are half day excursions, so you’ll be back in Catania early afternoon. You can then do a bit of sightseeing in Catania.
Catania
The Duomo is a great place to start, with an impressive baroque facade and large piazza. There’s an elephant statue here too, and also a fountain.
The umbrella streets were one of my favourite parts of Catania. They were so colourful, especially on a sunny afternoon. This area around the fish market was full of cafes and bars and restaurants and full of life. It was a great atmosphere.
The Castello Ursino is another must visit destination in Catania. It dates back to the 13th century. You can pay the 10 euros to go inside and see the artefacts in the museum and get closer to the historic castle walls. It’s not a huge place, so 40 minutes is probably enough time, but it’s still worth visiting.
Bt this point, it’s time to try some of the amazing local Italian food for dinner. Pizza in Catania is great. The Romana pizza is full of flavour with cheese and anchovies. Or the Forna pizza is a twist on the classic Sicilian penne alla forna pasta dish, with aubergine and riccota. Both pizzas were amazing! A great end to a busy and fun-filled first day.
Would like to know where you landed? Any suggestions for B& B – or small hostel/hotels?
I flew into Catania. It worked well to stay in Catania for a few days – it’s a great base for doing day trips around the region. There are lots of accommodation choices in Catania, I’d recommend staying in the centre near the market and cathedral. And my second base was Syracuse, staying on the small island of Ortigia. It was easy to get from Syracuse/Ortigia back to Catania for the flight home. Hope that helps, and hope you have an amazing trip!