Etna Morning from Catania: Easy Grade, Suitable for Children and Older Walkers

An easy grade, which the operator states as the first thing about it: this route works for children and for older visitors alike, and nothing on it asks for fitness beyond ordinary walking. The ground is the lunar Etna, with ancient lava flows and the plants and animals that hold on around them. A companion goes with the group to explain what the highest volcano in Europe is doing and why the mountain looks like this. The route: the Silvestri craters at 2,000 metres, a lava flow cave with helmets and torches supplied, the Valle del Bove, the 1991-93 flow that stopped at the gates of Zafferana Etnea, and a tasting of typical products at a producer in Zafferana. Pick-up and drop-off are at your accommodation or at an agreed meeting point. If you make your own way, the guide waits at the entrance to the Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Stesicoro, by the two columns.