Etna, Nicolosi, Pian Provenzana

Fire and ice. Apparently one of the many paradoxes that characterize Etna, the "mountain par excellence" of the Mediterranean, which has always exercised a "magnetic" attraction to tourists and visitors. Known to most people for the periodic erruptions, the volcano did not surprise those familiar with it.

There are many activities that are practiced in the winter here. Despite a latitude so low, Etna has abundant snow for six months a year free from the dangers of avalanches and crevasses and is a paradise for lovers of winter sports. If anything, the distinguishing characteristic of the environment is the rain of volcanic ash that often accompany eruptions.

Normally, in winter, the slopes of Etna become the premier ski resort island with slopes and lifts that are active on both sides - Nicolosi and Linguaglossa. The violent eruptions of the early millennium razed structures; the reconstruction was completed - at least in part - and the practice of winter activities is now back in full swing.

At the site of Nicolosi (Rifugio Sapienza), there are cable cars and chair lift. The runway is currently active and there you can enjoy skiing and snowboarding and it is an ideal base for ski touring, from 2500 meters in altitude you can ski whilst admiring the Ionian Sea and the Gulf of Catania, prompting the gaze to the tip further south of the island: Cape Passero. For cross-country skiing you need only travel a few kilometers to reach Vetore floor, where there are some circuits and from which you can also try the track Altomontana.In the centre of Nicolosi, (a mountain-style village that lies at 700 meters high) is an ice-rink that is open until late spring.

Even in Linguaglossa (Pian Provenzana) you can try your hand at downhill skiing and mountaineering. For snowboarding there is a snow park, the only such facility in the South. Exposure to the North, favoring a prolonged snow cover, makes this resort especially pleasant in spring.

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