How to get to Piano Provenzana, Etna North

From Linguaglossa follow the Mareneve road uphill for about 15 kilometres, through the larch-pine and birch forest, to the Piano Provenzana car park. The road is paved and well maintained; in winter snow chains or winter tyres may be compulsory. Allow 25–30 minutes.

From Catania: A18 motorway towards Messina, exit at Fiumefreddo, then the SS120 to Linguaglossa and the Mareneve road from there. About an hour and a quarter in total. From Taormina and Giardini Naxos take the A18 towards Catania and leave at the same Fiumefreddo exit: about one hour. From Messina, an hour and a half.

If you fly into Catania Fontanarossa, the A18 is minutes from the airport; with a hire car the drive is easy even after dark, which is handy for the sunset tour.

The Piano Provenzana square has a large free car park, bars and mountain huts. The exact meeting point with the guide is confirmed on WhatsApp when you book, together with the time: arrive 10–15 minutes early for the briefing and gear check.

Public transport to Piano Provenzana is limited and seasonal. If you have no car, write to us before booking: we will point you to the options available in that period (shuttles, taxis from Linguaglossa) or help you arrange a transfer.

The square is the base for the whole northern slope: the trails to the 2002 craters start here, as does the ash track the 4x4 buses follow up to 2,900 metres. Around it there are mountain huts and bars for a coffee before leaving or lunch on the way back, and in winter the lifts of the Etna North ski resort.

The station you see today was rebuilt after the 2002 eruption, when an eruptive fissure on the north-eastern flank destroyed buildings and forest: the cones we visit on the 2002 craters tour are exactly those. Getting here already means stepping into the volcano's recent history.