The Circumetnea
Sicily Villas near and in the Etna »
If you wish to visit Mount Etna, there’s nothing better than climbing all around it with a picturesque train, following the Circumetnea railroad. This is a narrow-gage railway covering the whole perimeter of Mount Etna, touching the innumerable little stations scattered on the volcano slopes. You can catch the train everywhere along the way, but we strongly advise you to begin your trip from Catania or Giarre, to enjoy the whole tour up to the top.
“O my kind reader, if you go to Catania remember to catch the Circumetnea, and you will agree that it is the most charming circular journey on the earth which takes only seven hours. It runs through an earthly paradise, here and there meeting the hell. It is a succession of splendid views of the volcano and the sea, of gardens and lava, and verdant valleys, woods of oaks, beeches and pines which provided the material for the fleet of Syracuse”. (E. De Amicis, Ricordi di un viaggio in Sicilia). That’s how the writer Edmondo De Amicis described his own experience a century ago.
Circumetnea railroad gives visitors a chance to discover lofty and superb Mount Etna with a closer look, showing its various sceneries. The train, often crowded with students and commuters in the rush-hours, trudges on a gradient up to 36 per thousand, and it often stops in the middle of nowhere to allow farmers to reach their own fields. If you need information or advice, feel free to ask the personnel on the train. They will be glad to help you.
Sicily Villas near and in the Etna »