Sicily: Myth and Volcanoes Hiking

Each step takes you back in time.

The Aeolian Islands offer beautiful contrasts that will greatly enhance your hiking/walking tour. Explore the power and fascination of volcanoes softened by the lush vegetation of the islands. Savor the sweetness of the regional wine, Malvasia. Enjoy the warmth of the people. The Aeolian Islands represent a little paradise where life proceeds at a different rhythm, slower and relaxed. Take advantage of that rhythm to enjoy the silence and intense blues of the sea and sky.

It is a land of myth, where time seems to have a different meaning. The volcanoes of this area have enchanted ancient and modern writers for centuries. They were a source of power, both natural and supernatural, for the Greek, Latin and Norman people, who dominated the area of eastern Sicily. According to mythology, Vulcano Island was the seat of Hephaestus, God of Fire. The Romans called him Vulcano and since then all the ancient mountains spitting fire have been called “volcanoes.”

Nowadays Vulcano is a dormant volcano, but if you want to experience the emotion stirred up by an active volcano we suggest you to go to Stromboli, on the north of the Aeolian Archipelago. It is a volcano that, due to its perpetual activity, was called “Lighthouse of the Mediterranean Sea.”

This tour gives you a rare opportunity to discover the power, mythology, sweetness, and rhythm of a precious place. By foot, you will experience it up close and authentically.

Cost: € 1195 (group) $
€ 960 (self-guided) $
Duration: 10 days/9 nights
Start/End: Taormina/Taormina
2010 Start Dates: May 15, May 29, September 18, October 9

Highlights of the tour

Taormina and its roman-greek theatre
Aeolian Islands UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hiking in Lipari, the largest and most complex of the Aeolian islands
Climb to Monte Fossa delle Felci in Salina, the highest point of the archipelago
Ascend the top of the Vulcano Island crater, the volcano that gives the name “volcano” to all the “smoking mountains” since the Roman times
Explore Panarea, an amazing hike to discover lava, ancient relics and rare plants
Hike to the top of Stromboli Island and see its eruptions by night: a unique and fascinating experience. This volcano explains the name “strombolian activity” used for volcanoes around the world which have small eruptions every 20 to 30 minutes
Discover Mount Etna, depending on the conditions, you’ll get to the main crater of the highest active volcano in Europe
Enjoy the sweet, smooth, and aromatic flavour of the world-known Malvasia wine
Experience wonderful Sicilian cuisine and wine

Itinerary
Photos
Maps
Notes
Pricing

Day 1 – Welcome to Sicily!

Transfer on your own from Catania Airport to Taormina. Taormina is well known because its ancient Greco-Roman theatre. From this place you can see Mount Etna, which is often enveloped in a cloud, but when clear you can make out the rim of the crater. Taormina is perhaps the most sought after place to stay in all of Sicily, attracting the very rich and famous. Overnight in Taormina, dinner not included.

Day 2 – Lipari island

Transfer to Lipari Island. Free time to discover the main town. Lipari will be your overnight base for the next several nights. Dinner is on your own.

Day 3 – Hike Lipari island (2 hours)

Discover the most complex of the Aeolian Islands, Lipari Island. Hiking allows a beautiful exploration of this lush environment. You will see the spectacular twisted obsidian flow and the ash layers stratified during the previous eruptions. They are now visible from the excavation of an abandoned pumice mine. Dinner is on your own.

Day 4 – Salina Island (5 hours)

Hydrofoil to Salina Island. After a short shuttle ride to reach the starting point of this spectacular hike, you will climb Fossa delle Felci Mountain (almost 3,300 feet). The descent will take you to the village of Lingua where a refreshing granita (an icy treat made in several flavors) is waiting for you – almond and pistachio are local favorites. There will also be an opportunity to enjoy the nearby anthropology museum. In the afternoon hydrofoil back to Lipari. Dinner is on your own.

Day 5 – Vulcano Island (3 hours)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer on your own to Vulcano Island by hydrofoil. This volcano gives the name “volcano” to all the “smoking mountains” since the Roman times. Vulcano’s jagged coastline ranges in color from red to yellow ochre and looks like tentacles plunging into the waters. You’ll be amazed by the wild and haunting beauty of this land. In the afternoon, a hydrofoil will take you back to Lipari. Dinner is on your own.

Day 6 – Panarea Island (4 hours)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer by hydrofoil on your own to Panarea Island, the smallest of the archipelago and one of the most important because it is the oldest of the Aeolian Islands. Panarea also has traces of ancient settlements going back to the Bronze Age. An amazing trail will lead you to the highest point of the island. You will be rewarded with a spectacular view. One of the highlights of this hike is the chance to see a unique plant which is in only two spots in the world. Overnight in Lipari with dinner on your own.

Day 7 – Stromboli Island (5 hours)

Today you’ll leave Lipari Island after breakfast at the hotel. You’ll take a hydrofoil to Stromboli Island. After settling in, enjoy some free time in the morning. In the afternoon a volcanologist will lead you along the paths through the steep faces of the volcano to observe the “Sciara del Fuoco.” It is an impressive chute of lava that flows continuously from the crater to the sea. Hike to the crater and the other side of the volcano. Overnight in Stromboli. Dinner is on your own.

Day 8 – Milazzo

Hydrofoil to Milazzo and transfer on your own by train or bus to Catania and than a bus to Nicolosi. Free time in the afternoon. Overnight stay: Nicolosi. Dinner not included.

Day 9 – Mt. Etna excursion (6 hours)

On this day, depending on the conditions, you’ll reach the top of the highest active volcano in Europe. Mt. Etna. It is an amazing experience to get the top of the “Big Crater”! Something you’ll always remember! Overnight stay in Nicolosi. Dinner is on you own.

Day 10 – Departure Day

End of the tour. Transfer on your own to Catania Airport. Ciao!

Actual tour itinerary may vary slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate

The hiking in Lipari and Vulcano are the easiest of the week. Salina is more to a moderate since the ascent is about 600mt. Stromboli, with the volcanologist is simply spectacular and it becomes moderate only if you can get the very top (8oomt.) but it depends on the Volcano itself (the rangers decide if they can open or not the entrance to the second part of the hike). Anyway the hike up to 400 mt. Is the most spectacular since it gives you the opportunity to see the “Sciara del Fuoco”. Even the hike on Mount Etna is quite easy since it starti from 2.900 mt. Up to 3.300mt. Depends on the Volcano activity and on the volcanologist availability (always safety reasons) if you can do the all downhill from 3.300 to 1.900, 1.400 mt of descent passing from the Valle del Bove, a spectacular lava flow dominating Catania area.

Travel notes

The reference airport for this tour is Catania.

Books

Salvatore Quasimodo, poet and writer: Ed è subito sera, Giorno dopo giorno, Dare e avere. Modica
Gesualdo Bufalino, novelist Diceria dell’untore (the plague sower), Le menzogne della notte (Night’s lies). Comiso
Jacopo da Lentini (sec XIII), poet. Lentini
Vitaliano Brancati, novelist: Don Giovanni in Sicilia, Il Bell’Antonio, Paolo il caldo. Pachino

Movies

Divorce, italian style 1961, film director: Pietro Germi. This movie It won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
Anni difficili 1948, film director Luigi Zampa, from the novel of Vitaliano Brancati, “II vecchio con gli stivali”
Gente di rispetto 1975, film director Luigi Zampa, from the homonymous novel of Giuseppe Fava
Kaos 1984, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, from several novels of Luigi Pirandello
The star maker or best known as L’Uomo delle stelle 1995, Giuseppe Tornatore

Group tour price

€ 1195 (minimum 8 people) – currency converter

Additional options and fees

High season surcharge – € 90 (effective July 1– August 31)
Private room – € 245
Transfer rates per person (two person minimum)
- Catania airport to Taormina – € 45
- Milazzo to Nicolosi – € 110
- Nicolosi to Catania airport – € 35

Included

One English-speaking trip leader
Nine nights accommodation on double-occupancy basis
Nine breakfasts
Baggage transportation between hotels
Detailed route information and maps
Hydrofoil Milazzo-Lipary, Lipari-Stromboli, Stromboli-Milazzo
Excursion to the Etna volcano
Assistance of a local volcanologist at Etna and Stromboli

Not included

Admission to museums and archaeological sites
Tickets for trains or any public transportation
Wine or beverages
Airfare
Transfers to the starting point or from the finishing point unless specified; we can assist you in planning and arranging for any necessary shuttles
Extra nights due to cancellation or restriction sea links to/from the islands
Travel insurance
Personal expenses (laundry, personal supplies, phone calls, etc.)
Gratuity

Self-guided option