Location: Nicolosi
Top Things to do in Nicolosi
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Nicolosi, Italy
Nicolosi (Sicilian: Niculùsi) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) southeast of Palermo and about 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of Catania.
Restaurants in Nicolosi
1. Etna Touring
Overall Ratings
5 based on 118 reviews
Excursions and trekking on the Etna, the hightest active volcano in Europe, with volcanologic and alpine guides.
Reviewed By MooseNL - Amsterdam
This was my second visit to Etna, and upon the recommendation of my B&B host decided to hike to the summit with Etna Touring. She had been under the impression that the group size would be limited, which unfortunately it wasn't.
Upon arrival to the meet up point at the restaurant, we were conveyed over to the Etna Touring sign up point near the funivia departure point. Initially, we heard one or two members of staff, informing people that dropped by that they were full, but as time wore on, more and more people were allowed to join the group.
While this would not necessarily pose a problem, it did result in us departing late, and also based on our location in the chain of people climbing up or down, we might have missed the information provided by P.
Despite all this, it was a memorable experience.
1. Etna Touring provides jackets, hiking boots, hiking poles, and gaiters for people who have for some reason arrived without. All at no extra charge.
2. Helmets are provided
3. Guides are friendly and personable. For the slower hikers, one stays at the back and provides some assistance or instruction where needed.
4. Honey sweets, wine, coffee and some sort of fruit are provided during lunch break.
5. A number of breaks are taken to ensure that the group stays together, i.e. that the slow hikers can catch up to the rest.
The price paid to Etna Touring includes the cost for the Funivia and the 4x4 minivans. The funivia conveys hikers to 2,500m, and the 4x4 minivans to 2,920. After this, hikes to the summit (3,345) are only allowed with a guide.
While the hike to the summit is only about 400 m, through a zig-zag route, due to the strong winds, it proved quite challenging for most. Without the wind, if an experienced hiker, the hike would not be that strenuous, given that the guides maintain a somewhat relaxed pace.
Going downhill, a large portion of the hike is spent lumbering through ash, so I would definitely recommend gaiters.
The views on the way up and at the top, sitting above the clouds for lunch in the bright Sunshine all add to make this a remarkable experience.
2. Crateri Silvestri
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 102 reviews
Reviewed By Joseph G - Montreal, Canada
We took the other road going up to Rifugio Sapienza so that we ended up arriving and parking just a few yards from Crateri Silvestri; we took the opportunity to visit them before moving to the spiazzale (large open space) in front of Rifugio Sapienza.
We walked around the crater and took some photos and then descended in one of them.
They are simply an awesome sight and a small demonstration of the power of Mount Etna.
3. Quad Etna Sud
Overall Ratings
5 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By Ceftom C
The almost 3 hrs quad bike tour up to mount etna was super fun and interesting. The tour guide who is the owner of the company was really friendly and he also took us some photos so we had a full service. If your staying in Nicolosi its worth this tour. We saw very interesting things. We recommand it 100% for some fun time and to see top of mount etna.
4. Volcano House - Museo Vulcanologico dell'Etna
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Reviewed By SydneyKath - Sydney
This Educational and interesting museum really made the trip to Mount Etna more meaningful. We were guided through the museum by a young woman who spoke very good English and really knew the science. There was archival footage of eruptions at Etna. We were impressed. It is free.
5. Monti Rossi Adventure Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By Lord_Jade - Tel Aviv, Israel
Our second adventure park in Sicily. Loved it and the children (7 years old) loved it too ... The staff is very nice. Do go!
6. Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud - Day Excursions
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 109 reviews
Reviewed By carpe_diem_179 - London, United Kingdom
Having heard good things about them from various sources, I struggled on emails and on phone, to get some very basic questions answered. At the end of it, I was given an impression that I could show up at their office at Rifugio Sapienza after 9 am, and they would be able to organize an excursion for us (my wife and I, that is). So when we showed up at their office at Rifugio Sapienza after 9 am a few days after the email exchange - you can guess the next part - the office was closed with no notice or information of any kind. We waited for a while, and then left. We still tried to make the best of our day at Etna, but we were really relying on these guys to help us have a memorable day.
Truly disappointing.
7. Euro Etna Tourism
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Euro Etna Tourism organize trekking, quad, mtb excursion on Mount Etna, the active volcano of Sicily. Our professional Guide will let you discover the amazing trails of the volcano. Visit our web site and book online the tour you wish in quad, Mountain bike, Ebike or trekking!
Reviewed By Vitalik T
If you think about Etna excursion ...at better price (85 euro including Cab and jeeps) you must choose this agency (ask guide Nuccio) we enjoyed very much.
8. Funivia dell'Etna
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 739 reviews
Reviewed By Alexandra C - Ontario, Canada
We bought the full excursion package this past August. I believe this package costed 63 euros a person and included: (1) the cable car, (2) the bus, and (3) the guided tour. We drove taking the Etna South approach where we were able to find parking in a large lot. We then bought our tickets directly at the cable car station.
(1) The cable cars run on a continuous loop (much like a ski lift) and will take you up to 2500 metres. You can walk up to this point but there is not much to see along the way and it looked extremely laborious. You could also just take the cable car for 30 euros return trip if you do not wish to go further with the jeep and guide.
(2) At the point where the cable cars let off, you will find special off-road buses that also run continuously and will continue to take you up as far as you are allowed to go (as far as is deemed safe by authorities). The bus ride is quite fun!
(3) Once you get off the bus, a tour guide will meet you to take you on a walk to explain the surroundings and show you the most recent activity sites. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and he spoke in Italian, French, and English. We walked for what felt like between a half hour to an hour. The walk finished at a beautiful point for gazing and taking pictures. The guide had also dug up some of the ground ash so that we could feel and see hot steam emerge from the lava beneath us. This was my favourite part.
I believe it is worth spending the money on the full excursion if you are able to do so and if this is something you really want to do. It really did feel like a surreal, once in a lifetime experience for us and I'm glad that we had the opportunity to do it. The full excursion from start to finish takes about 2 and a half hours. Be sure to take some volcanic lava rocks along your walk too! They are super cool and the guides don't mind if you pick them up to keep. There are also restaurants and gift shops near the car park to spend some time in, which is how we concluded our awesome day.
9. Etna Trip
Overall Ratings
5 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By Steve_and_Karen_B - Newbury, United Kingdom
We spent an excellent day walking on Etna with Luca. He was great company, and clearly loves his job. We were fascinated to understand the extent to which Etna is a living volcano, always changing, with a huge influence over the region’s climate, agriculture and construction. Highly recommended.
10. Chiesa Madre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
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