Etna North by Coach: Three Free Hours at 1,900 m, Pizzi Deneri Above

A coach day with the walking left to you. The guide is local and works in several languages, and the hour of driving up gets used for the history and the volcanology, with the vegetation changing outside the window: citrus groves, then vineyards, then chestnut woods, then pine. At Piano Provenzana, 1,900 metres, you get about three hours to walk the area at your own pace. Nobody leads you round it. Going higher is a separate decision, made on the spot. A 4x4 minibus climbs to 2,840 metres along a high mountain track laid across lava and volcanic sand, following the fracture that opened in the 2002 eruption, with alpine and volcanological guides. It reaches the Pizzi Deneri volcanological observatory. From there the last 300 metres of climb are on foot, among volcanic waste and bombs, up to a viewpoint at 2,900 metres, the maximum altitude the authorities currently allow in the summit area. In clear weather that point takes in the Valle del Leone and the Valle del Bove, with the north-east and south-east craters in front of you. The ticket for this is not included and is paid on site. There is a stop at a chalet on the mountain, with lunch not included, and another stop before the return to Taormina. Bring clothing that suits a mountain and shoes you can walk in.