Excursion Etna and Taormina

Description

After being picked up from your accommodation (or nearby) you will reach Rifugio Sapienza by car and stop in some panoramic points on the way up.The guide will tell you everything about the history of the volcano and the territory around. You will have the chance to visit the sites of the last important activities and the famous Silvestri Craters.

From Rifugio Sapienza (1920 m asl) you can choose between:

• Do some trekking up to 2000 m with our guide along one of the paths of “Parco dell’Etna”.
• Buy the Etna high altitude option: you will reach 2500 meters by cable car. Here you will continue with some 4x4 minibuses and reach 2900 meters (Torre del Filosofo). You will find yourself in front of a unique landscape characterized by the typical lava desert given by the last recent eruptions and a stunning view of the summit craters. The Alpine Guides will take you to the most interesting areas of the last major eruption.
   

The tour will go ahead with the visit of a lava cave with helmets and torches.

The next stop on the way down will be an organic farm for a sampling of typical products.

After the tasting, you will head for Taormina, but first you will make a short stop to an overlook to admire “Isola Bella” from above, a Wildlife Reserve considered the “pearl of the Ionian sea” for its natural beauty, and connected to the mainland by a thin strip of sand.

After lunch (not included in the price) you will dedicate the afternoon to visiting the picturesque town of  Taormina.  

Along the main road of this town, Corso Umberto, with the Messina Gate below and the  Catania Gate on the mountain side, you will admire the most important monuments: Palazzo Corvaja (The Corvaja Palace) , the Teatro Antico* (The Old Theatre), Piazza IX Aprile, the Torre dell’orologio (The Clock Tower), the Cattedrale Fortezza (The Fortress Cathedral), the Badia Vecchia (The Old Abbey), and the Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano (The Duke of Saint Stephen Palace), and much more. It will also be possible to go shopping in the exclusive shops which alternate with workshops.

Recommended equipment

Windbreaker / Tennis shoes / Water / Hat and sunglasses.

The fee includes

Shuttle bus (return) / Multilingual guide / Trekking shoes (on request) / The kit for visiting the Cave / Sampling. 

The fee does not include

Authorized guide in Taormina (on request) / Optional visit of Greek Theatre € 10,00 / Optional activities available on Etna such as: 2 hours quad tour, Cycling to the top, Etna high altitude / All that is not specified under “the cost includes”.