Mount Etna & Alcantara: Wine Tasting, Cave Trek & Lunch

4.87

(154 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what a volcano smells like? I hadn’t, not really, until we drove out from Catania that morning—windows open, air sharp with pine and something almost metallic. Our guide, Salvo, grew up in these hills. He pointed out old lava flows as we wound up Mount Etna’s northeast side (I still can’t pronounce “Sartorius” right). The hike itself wasn’t too hard—rocky in places, black sand underfoot. There was this weird silence up there except for our boots crunching and the wind. At one point Salvo stopped us to show a patch where tiny yellow flowers were pushing through last year’s ash. It was colder than I expected at 2000 meters; they handed out jackets if you needed one.

I didn’t think I’d be crawling into a volcanic cave that day but there we were—helmets on, torches flickering over rough walls. The air inside was cool and earthy, almost damp. Someone made a joke about trolls living down there (I laughed too loud). When we finally came back into the light my hands were gritty with black dust. Lunch was at this chalet tucked between vineyards—a wooden table set with bread that smelled faintly of anise, caponata, pasta with pistachio pesto (they asked about allergies first), and a red wine that tasted like smoke and cherries. Honestly? That meal alone would’ve been worth it.

After all that warmth and food I nearly dozed off on the drive to Alcantara Gorges. But then you hear the river before you see it—cold water rushing through basalt walls cut into strange shapes. Some people waded in; I just sat on a rock watching kids skip stones while an old man sold lemon granita nearby. Sicily feels different here—less postcard-perfect, more real somehow. I still think about those wildflowers on Etna when I see dusty shoes by my door.