Mount Etna, the active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, towers over the picturesque seaside towns. Its snow-capped summit hints at the peak’s 3400m elevation, with a mixture of clouds and steam bursts serving as a reminder to the volcano’s active status.
As one of the largest volcanoes in Europe, Etna is a popular destination for hikers and tourists, and it’s actually easy to drive your car most of the way up.
Mount Etna is situated about 27 kilometres north of the Sicilian port city of Catania. It’s on the east coast of Sicily, about 70km south of Messina, where you’ll find the closest crossing to the Italian mainland. The ‘toe’ of the ‘boot’.
There are a number of access points to the mountain, for hikers and sightseers alike, although the main tourist section is on the southern-side of the peak, Etna Sud.
Access to the northern side (Etna Nord) is easy with a well-posted but winding route accessible from the town of Linguaglossa. The route is tight and twisty, but fully paved and simple to drive in any rental car. It's a short trip of less than 20 kilometres.
Just look out for buses coming the other way.
In winter, you will need to carry snow chains despite the roads being regularly paved, but in the spring and summer months, you can drive to the operational summit to hike or have a meal at one of the restaurants.
There’s a great view of the mountain’s peak here, but the real adventure awaits at the southern point. The best part is that you can follow the road down from Etna Nord to the town of Milo and head back up the southern side.
Again, access to Etna Sud is easy and well sign posted from the town of Santa Venerina.
The road is paved here too, and winds up past some historic lava flows to the tourist park at the Silvestri Crater. You’ll need to pay for parking – cash only – but can hike, snack or explore even more of the mountain here via the cable car to the 2500m summit.
Any rental car is suitable for this trip, and the drive is relatively easy providing you are comfortable with often loose Italian road manners.
The cable car isn’t cheap (€52 per person return – and don’t lose your ticket as you will need it for both trips), but it’s worth the investment to get to the next waypoint.
From here, you can tour the active part of the volcano, recent eruption notwithstanding, in a Mercedes-Benz Unimog tour bus. These giant 4X4s are able to drive up over the lava and snow to around 3000m above sea level, where you can again hike and explore with a guide.
Once you’ve had your fill of volcanic exploration, the ‘Mog will return you to the cable car where you can descend to the car park.
The road here also continues down the mountain, across some stunning lava flows, into the town of Nicolosi.
From here you can head back to the E45 motorway to head north to the iconic village of Taormina (familiar to White Lotus TV show fans), or south to the historic port of Syracuse.
If you want even more Etna, there’s a road that wraps around the base of the mountain, through the village of Bronte, that can offer some spectacular photography opportunities.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
