Etna Park was the first natural area in Sicily to be protected, in 1987, by a Presidential Decree. Its 59,0000 hectares surround Europe’s highest active volcano, Etna, which is a year-round destination for thousands of tourists, trekkers and nature lovers.
This territory has been divided into no less than four zones: the integral reserve, where man has limited access, the general reserve, where traditional economic activities such as agriculture are developed, and zones ‘C’ and ‘D’, which are more anthropized. However, here growth goes hand in hand with an environment and landscape-friendly philosophy. The main focus of the park is clearly Mount Etna, with an area of approximately 1260 square kilometres. Included by Unesco in the list of ‘World Heritage’ sites in 2013, it is cultivated up to 1,000 metres above sea level but is very urbanised on the southern and eastern slopes; to the west, on the other hand, it is barren and characterised by ‘sciare’ (volcanic deposits, which can be found on the surface or on the sides of lava flows). To the north, on the other hand, there are wonderful woods, excellent for long walks.
The park also contains other gems not to be missed. There are more than 200 caves, spots of incredible beauty known since ancient times and used as sacred or burial spaces, or as ‘storage’ for snow. The most striking are Tre Livelli, Palombe, Gelo, Ladroni and Lamponi caves. The Gole dell’Alcantara, stretching between Mount Etna and the Peloritani and Nebrodi mountains, are ideal for an excursion into the wilderness. The deep, long crevasse where the Alcantara river flows is surrounded by thick, lush vegetation.
Another place of interest is Valle de Bove, generated 8000 years ago by a collapse of Etna. Here there are many lava flows released by the volcano, which also gave way to typically Mediterranean fauna and flora such as birch trees. And then there are the Monti Silvestri, eruptive cones formed by the 1892 eruption and located on a ‘bottoniera’, a typical radial fracture. The major cone and the minor cone are crossed by provincial road 92, which leads to Rifugio Sapienza, one of the volcano’s most touristic points and the base of the ‘Etna Sud’ ski resort, where there are also ski lifts.