The hike to the summit craters of Mount Etna is the ultimate experience for exploring our volcano: the ascent to the summit area takes place, in the first stage, by cable car and/or 4x4 vehicles, which will take us from the altitude of Rifugio Sapienza (approx. 1,900 metres above sea level) to the base of the summit craters in two stages.
Once we reach an altitude of 2,500 metres above sea level (depending on the season and the weather, it is possible to reach the altitude of Montagnola either by cable car or by 4x4), another vehicle will take us to Torre del Filosofo at an altitude of 2,920 metres above sea level, where our hike to the summit will begin. Where legend has it that Empedocles threw himself into the volcano, which only ejected his bronze sandal, the remains of the Torre del Filosofo Refuge were still visible until 2013. The trail we will follow towards the edges of the central crater winds its way over the layers of pyroclastic deposits that, from 1971 to 2013, slowly covered a symbol of this mountain.
The route along the rim of the central crater is subject to continuous adjustments and variations due to the most recent activity, which does not allow us to establish a precise itinerary for your ascent to the summit. Both the duration of the visit and the ideal routes to take will be at the discretion of the volcanology guide. The ascent from the southern slope ideally retraces, at least in the so-called desert zone (A. Dumas, 1834), the routes that the first enthusiasts, historians, geographers, writers and geologists from all over the world took to reach the summit since the time of the Grand Tour.
The descent trail will take us back to the Barbagallo Craters, which we skirted quickly by vehicle on the way up. These are the cones formed during the activity in the fall of 2002, the upper cone of which is named after Vincenzo Barbagallo, a historic Etna guide, and the lower cone, the so-called Tazieff, in honour of the volcanologist Haroun, a great friend of the guide. The descent from the summit craters continues by crossing the Piano del Lago plateau in the direction of Cisternazza and the overlook of the Bove Valley. This gigantic valley was formed by a series of coalescing collapses starting 9,000 years ago.
Turning your back on the valley, your ascent to the crater of the volcano comes to an end. You will now be almost at the drop-off point, the cable car arrival station, where, after retrieving the vehicles for the descent, the return journey to Rifugio Sapienza will begin.
