Between October and November it is possible to walk in its Piano del Vescovo and Illice woods, which are tinged with of the splendid autumn color of the leaves. But this period is also perfect for an excursion to the volcano, its caves or inside its lava tubes.

In the first case, the trek will take you up to 3,000 meters above sea level, and it is therefore important to choose appropriate clothing: prefer comfortable, opaque and waterproof clothes, and do not forget a hat, gloves and sunglasses.

At the start, a cable car or a 4X4 car will take you up to 2,500 meters above sea level. Here the trek begins. Take photos you’ll remember forever as you admire the ashen trails, craters, fractures, and lava flows. A guide will accompany you all the way while he will show you all the secrets of Etna. One of the main stages of the route is at the base of the most active crater of the volcano: the new Southeast crater, which originated in 2007. Its eruptions, which should start after an hour, last 10 hours.

You can then visit the craters of Bargaballo, which were formed in 2002 during the “perfect eruption”, between October 27 and January 29. This eruption, so called because it occurred in conjunction with an earthquake, was among the most explosive of the last 100 years and caused various damages to the village of Santa Venerina, and to Acireale, Giarre, Zafferana Etnea and Milo. It is estimated that, during the eruption, 160 million cubic meters of lava were emitted. Along the way to get here there are also the characteristic Hornitos, small cinder cones that form on the surface of a lava flow.

Then visit the Valle del Bove, within the protected area of the Etna Park: from this desert basin, covered by recent lava flows, some adventitious craters such as Monte Simone and the Monti Centenari are visible. And here you will also find several dagale (portions of isolated vegetation surrounded by lava).

In the Dammusi Pass you will encounter lava that has taken the form of a rope called roped lava, which has been generated by the cooling of fluid lavas. It is also possible to venture to the volcanic caves of Etna: La Grotta del Gelo and La Grotta dei Lamponi. The two lava flow quarries were generated in 1614, during a ten-year eruption that emitted a billion cubic meters of lava. The first cave is the southernmost perennial glacier in Europe. While the second is one of the longest on the volcano, it was discovered in 1965 and has characteristic remelting stalactites and horizontal cords on the walls.

Walk also in the lava tubes of Etna, the only ones in Italy. These are some caves carved into lava rocks, which constitute the fossil form of a very fluid lava eruption. They usually develop in a subhorizontal direction, but, in this case, they have wells inside them.