Mount Etna Sunset Tour with Lava Cave & Tasting from Catania

Roman Amphitheatre and Piazza Stesicoro, Catania

The tour starts at the Roman Amphitheatre in Piazza Stesicoro, a large square on Via Etnea, Catania's main street, which runs straight towards the volcano. Built in the 2nd century AD from dark lava stone, the amphitheatre was among the largest in Roman Sicily. Only a section of its arches is visible today, sunk below street level, because later Catania was built over it.

Take a few minutes before departure to look over the railings at the curved corridors and lava-block walls. From here our naturalist guide leads the group to the vehicle, and within 40 minutes the city's baroque streets give way to orchards and lava fields. The square is easy to reach on foot from most central hotels or by metro.

Zafferana Etnea and a Local Farm

Zafferana Etnea sits at about 600 m on Etna's eastern slope, surrounded by chestnut woods, orchards and beehives. The town is known across Sicily for its honey, and every October it hosts a festival of honey, chestnuts and mushrooms. Fertile volcanic soil gives the produce here a distinctive taste.

The first stop is a family farm on the edge of the town, where you sample Etna honey, extra-virgin olive oil and other local products while the guide explains how farmers live with the volcano. It lasts about 35 minutes and is a relaxed way to start before the drive higher up. You can buy jars and bottles of oil to take away if you like.

Valle del Bove and the 1991-93 Lava Flow

Valle del Bove is the enormous horseshoe-shaped valley on Etna's eastern flank, formed when part of the old volcano collapsed thousands of years ago. Its cliffs reach up to a thousand metres and its floor is layered with lava flows of different ages. It is the setting of this Valle del Bove tour stop, about 30 minutes with photos.

The guide tells the story of the eruption of 1991 to 1993, which lasted more than a year and sent a long lava flow down the valley towards Zafferana Etnea. Earth barriers were built and, in 1992, the flow was diverted with explosives and concrete blocks, stopping it short of the town. From the viewpoint you can trace where the lava came down.

Grotta dei Tre Livelli Lava Cave

The Grotta dei Tre Livelli is a lava tube formed by an 18th-century eruption, when the outer crust of a lava flow cooled while molten rock kept running inside. When the flow drained away it left a tunnel, here arranged on three stacked levels, which gives the cave its name. Inside you see lava stalactites, ropy floors and walls marked by the old flow.

This Etna lava cave tour visit lasts about 30 minutes. Helmets and torches are provided, and the guide leads the way along the first level, which is easy to walk with care. The ground is uneven and the air is cool, so closed shoes and a light layer make it more comfortable.

Lateral Craters at Sunset

Etna's flanks are dotted with side cones, opened by eruptions far from the main summit. On this tour you walk for about an hour on extinct lateral craters at around 2,000 m, among lava of different colours and the hardy plants that colonise it. The maximum altitude is about 2,100 m; the summit area is not part of this tour.

The walk is timed for golden hour, when low light turns the black slopes red and gold and, on clear evenings, the coast and Catania appear below. Then the vehicle takes a short scenic drive through the Etna Park before heading back. Temperatures drop quickly after sunset, so bring a windbreaker even in summer.