Etna Moving – Escursioni Etna

The weather was perfect last week for an excursion through the lava craters and tubes of Mt. Etna.
My group booked a half-​day excursion (this one:
) through Etna Moving, and we loved the whole experience!
We were picked up by Fabrizio in a Jeep just a couple blocks from our hostel in downtown Catania. We made our way to a small village at the base of Monte Etna for refreshments before heading up the «back way» to see a whole different perspective of the mountain tourists traveling by bus will miss.
I was SO not ready for the off-​road experience and it was kinda scary at points, but the guides, Fabrizio and Marco, knew what they were doing! And that Jeep was durable. Phew.
This tour itself was highly educational from a naturalist and geologist standpoint. We learned important historic information about this mountain, which is home to Europe’s most active volcano.
We saw plenty of lava rocks, but we didn’t get near the top — which is fine by me. The tour included a cave adventure — in which they give you hard helmets with lights and you navigate the dark cave. Our group saw a sleeping bat!
Pretty cool all-​around, but be prepared: My shoes were not right for the cave, so one of the guides held my arm most of the time to keep me upright. Even so, I still hit my head several times over on the low-​rising cave ceiling, sooooo just know what you’re getting into!
It’s also very windy and chilly on the mountain, so don’t forget a hair tie and jacket.
At the end of the tour, after we stopped at the souvenir shop near Silvestri Crater (and got lava rock jewelry — yay!), the guides brought us to a little house and we ate a prepared picnic meal of fresh veggies, small sandwiches and red wine.
If you’re in this part of Sicily, you really shouldn’t miss a trip to Mt. Etna. Etna Moving is a friendly, knowledgeable and trustworthy tour company. I’d consider them again for future trips to Sicily.