Well, let me start by saying early mid March weather can be an experience in itself as we had extreme snow storms, followed by sunny weather and finished off with stormy rainy weather at the end of our stay. The sole purpose of our trip was to relax, climb a volcano and have lunch while sat on a smoking crater. I say this now because we are walkers and wanted a walking holiday so if you want the same thing, this is the place to stay as it’s the ideal location. If you want somewhere with sea views and access to towns/bars/culture etc then unless you are willing to travel everyday by car, then this place is not for you. This is an ideal Mt Etna base location.
Petra (our host) was excellent in emailing us prior our arrival and met us when we arrived at the mini house. The house location was well signposted and there was suitable parking directly outside the house for our small car. The mini house was lovely and clean, log burner fire already lit which was welcome given the cold temperature outside. The house is located at a height of approx 600m above sea level so more subject to the climate at this time of year. The house is a small one room bedroom with kitchenette but with a separate toilet/shower room. Please note the kitchen has no oven (hob only) so allow for this for any meal planning. The kitchen was fully equipped to fulfill our cooking needs during our stay including a coffee machine which was great in the morning. There was plenty of hot water available to fulfill our needs during our stay. The private patio area outside the back door offered great views but we did not use it due to the climate during our stay (although it was sunny at some points during our stay it was too cold or we were on Etna during the hottest times)..It stated that there was price for logs to fuel the log fire but we were told by Petra to take what we needed from her log store when we wanted so that was very handy when returning from our walks. Our host Petra runs a horse riding business, so be prepared for organised events taking place during your stay but all the events are away from the house so don’t impact on your stay.
There is a supermarket approx 3km away which has everything you need from wine/spirits/food/snacks/mixers/meal ingredients etc (similar to a Lidl/Aldi type store). Nearest fuel is approx 5km away which is a self service pump just outside Ragalna which takes credit card or cash notes taken for either diesel or petrol. The nearest town is called Ragalna which is approx 6km away by car or about one hour walk. Ragalna has very few restaurants or bars and opening times should be noted before travelling there to ensure they are open. The nearest restaurant is approx 10mins walk from the house and called Ristorante Feudo Delizia which is open everyday bar Monday. Sunday booking is advisable as it can be very busy but making a reservation is advised in all cases. If you struggle with your Sicilian language when you try and book, they will WhatsApp you back and you can book using the app. Be warned, prepare yourself for an amazing feast as this ristorante takes no prisoners when it comes to portion sizes!!. Apart from huge portion sizes, the food is divine, well presented, fairly priced but most of all very tasty. My wife is vegetarian, so the menu covers all types of food lovers. This ristorante is very much recommended and well worth a visit during your stay.
The Mt Etna cable car (gondola), car park and the start of the walk up Etna are approx 20-40 mins drive by car (dependent if you are driving through 10metre visibility due to driving up through clouds) around hairpin bends at approx 10mph!!! It’s advisable to check out daily weather reports and live Etna webcams footage to see if the weather you are experiencing down below at sea level matches the potentially clear weather at the height of the Mt Etna car park/start point. During our hike on Etna, we were completely above the clouds in sunlight while below at sea level it was cloudy and overcast (like a different world). Instead of walking you can choose to take the cable car (gondola) to the upper level where you can then take a truck even higher to a car park below the Mt Etna main crater to a maximum height of 2600m. This is the maximum height limit anyone can walk/get to at the time of writing this review. You can go higher to the 3300m point, but only as part of an organised group with trained mountain leaders/volcanic experts which can be arranged either at the cable car/walk start or cable car end point. You can walk the whole way and then pay approx 9 euros from the 2600m point and tag on to an organised group if there is room for you. Access to the upper craters of Mt Etna are controlled and authorised by the volcano experts who monitor and advise based on weekly/daily volcanic activity so be warned to check this before planning your hike that day.
Sicily is an amazing beautiful country with some amazing hill tops towns (avoid your eyes to the frequent abuse of fly tipping in the rural areas), be warned of the Sicilian drivers that take life and death in their hands everyday (along with their mobile phones) but enjoy the delights of Centuripe, the Island of Ortigia and Taormina (to name but a few) which are amazing…
In summary, Petra and her little house make an excellent base camp for walking Mt Etna and a place to relax. Her hospitality and kindness made our holiday a great success for which we are very grateful. I would recommend this