Day Trip from Messina to Mount Etna and Taormina

Join me on this spectacular journey through several villages up to 2000 mt. on the southern slopes of the Mount Etna! Observe the diversity of landscapes along the way: from crowded towns to cultivated orange and lemon plantations, vast vineyards and chestnut woods, fields of prickly pears until the ancient lava flows and barren moon landscape near the summit. I will tell you about volcanology but also about the vegetation and fauna of this volcano and the risks and the advantages of living on the slopes of Etna. Discover the myths and legends that the ancient Greeks imagined to explain themselves phenomenons like the eruptions. . . Take advantage of your stop in Sicily to see as much as possible in one day. As I have been living in Taormina since over 30 years I will be able to show you also the hidden corners, out of the common paths. . . We will take a nice walk through the Corso Umberto, the popular shopping road, and visit the most famous monument of Sicily, the Greek-Roman theatre.

We will pass several villages such as Zafferana Etnea and Santa Venerina to get to 2000 meter. There you can take an easy walk around the Silvestri craters ( it takes about 15 minutes ) or you can have a look at the souvenirs stores or taste the local honey directly from the producers getting over there with their little trucks. In the bars yo can find the typical liquors and they also let you watch a video about the last eruptions. If you have time and interest and the weather conditions allow it, you can take the cable car to go up to 2650 meters. Then we will go to Taormina to visit its highlights such as the ancient theatre, the cathedral square, the Odeon, the Palace Corvaja. Of course we can customize the tour according to your needs and interests focusing on the subjects you like the most. Back to the harbour with the driver