Located in the outskirts of Zafferana Etnea at an altitude of 657 m a.s.l., the village of Ballo marks the starting point of this trail. From the driveway in the initial segment, it gradually becomes more rustic to turn finally into a simple path alternating large stretches of rough lava fields from the 1852 and 1951 eruptions, with verdant areas spared by recent eruptions (Piano Bello). After 45 minutes, hikers get past the giant Ilice di Carrinu, which is believed to be 800 years old. Then, along the southern edge, after 6.7 km it is possible to reach a modest pass located under M. Fontane and overlooking the Valle del Bove, or alternatively head on to Case Pietracannone (1,150 m), Hiking Base Point located along the SP “Mareneve di Fornazzo”.<\/p>\n
From here, the route bends North-West to face a long, shaded, steep ascent along the Pineta della Cubania, to rejoin the aforementioned S.P. at an altitude of 1,675, from where hikers can proceed left to the Citelli Lodge for an additional 950 m and, after 200 m, take another entrance on the right into the State Forestry Property. For a few hundred meters now, the track is unfolding across a not very wide area featuring a colony of splendid birch trees. From here, the track becomes almost flat, going from 1,660 m (where the bar marking the State Property border is located) to 1,800 m of Piano Provenzana, which can be reached after additional 5.6 km.<\/p>\n
Along this segment, hikers immediately leave the Sartorius Mountains, born in 1865 and featuring a specific Sentiero Natura, on their right. Further on the left, the very steep Hiking Trail no. 722 (see above) departs and further into that, with a detour of just 200 m to the left, it is possible to reach the M. Baracca Lodge, in whose already pleasant surroundings are a “pietracannone<\/em>” as well as the bed of an ephemeral water course with a perfectly smooth lava bottom. After Piano Provenzana, the trail heads up north and runs into M. Nero di Linguaglossa, which can be passed either from the right via the main route (trail no. 724, touching an altitude of 1,920 m a.s.l.) or from the left, via the alternative trail no. 724A. The latter slightly exceeds an altitude of 2,000 m a.s.l. and allows passing near the M. Timparossa Lodge (1,838 m).<\/p>\n Once the two trails have joined, the route descends towards Passo dei Dammusi (1,709 m), where it connects to the Pista Altomontana (Hiking Trail no. 701). Just below the afore mentioned refuge, a shortcut (Trail no. 739) allows reaching the Grotta delle Palombe area more quickly to continue on the Sentiero Italia towards the Valle dell\u2019Alcantara.<\/p>\n The entire route is 26,250 km long; it crosses a difference in altitude of 1,375 m and is part of the Sentiero Italia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Located in the outskirts of Zafferana Etnea at an altitude of 657 m a.s.l., the village of Ballo marks the starting point of this trail. From the driveway in the initial segment, it gradually becomes more rustic to turn finally into a simple path alternating large stretches of rough lava fields from the 1852 and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2791","sentiero","type-sentiero","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"acf":{"sentieri":[{"ID":2737,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"The 34.400-km route develops almost entirely along a ring-shaped wide road covering about 60% of the volcano\u2019s perimeter, located at an altitude between a minimum of 1,435 m on the north side to a maximum of 1,917 on the west side. The only exception is a short pass stretching through a narrow lava path resulting from the 1981 eruption, which spilled onto the north flank threatening the town of Randazzo.\n\nThe ring it outlines is not a closed one, due to the chasm of the Valle del Bove, not impossible though difficult to cross.\n\nThough curved in shape, the length and conformation of the Pista Altomontana make it a sort of backbone of the Etna trail network, as it is accessible from almost all the villages surrounding Etna through some paths featuring a roughly radial track. Subsequently, it is possible to proceed towards the summit areas from some of its junctions, following other paths through large radial lines.\n\nThe Pista Altomontana could be defined as the \"hub\" of the Etna trails, as it allows reaching the medium altitudes of the Volcano from one side and descend from another one.\n\nIt also allows crossing and enjoying almost all the landscapes that Mount Etna can offer, ranging from different types of tall trees forests and- in particular - pine woods with larch pine and beech woods, to harsh lava flows characterised by very diverse shapes and appearance. The Pista Altomontana roughly marks the border between the second and third of the three circular belts into which the ancient authors used to divide Etna, that is, the downstream wooded belt and the upstream volcanic desert belt.\n\nFinally, it allows admiring an hourly changing panorama overlooking the two underlying valleys of the Simeto and Alcantara rivers, the mountainous complexes of Nebrodi and Peloritani and the villages scattered across them. Along it, or at short distance, there are a dozen small buildings, generally owned by the former State Forestry Company, some of which are available as emergency shelter or a basic overnight stay for adequately equipped hikers.\n\nThe two ends of the route can be both reached by private motor vehicles and constitute Hiking Base Points.","post_title":"Pista Altomontana (Sentiero Italia)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"pista-altomontana-sentiero-italia","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 10:49:55","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 09:49:55","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/pista-altomontana-sentiero-italia\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2739,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"It consists of a dirt road built several decades ago by the licensed companies in charge of trasporting tourists by off-road minibuses. It departs from the two ski resorts and ends at the authorised quotas, which have varied through the years according to the risk arising from volcanic activity. The road starts on the south side, at an altitude of 1,910 m, next to the Cableway station and encircles the summit area at an altitude of around 3,000 m a.s.l., keeping the distance from the complex of terminal and sub-terminal craters, thus ensuring a reasonable level of security. It then descends to Piano Provenzana (about 1,800 m) where there is an additional ski resort.\n\nThe track is shared between hikers and motor vehicles. On the south side, it has been modified or even completely remade a number times in the 1970s, 1980s and early 2000s, when the new Escriv\u00e0 de Balaguer<\/em> and Vincenzino Barbagallo <\/em>craters appeared along it and large lava flows cross edits south-descending ridge.\n\nFrom this side, short detours allow hikers to overlook the underlying Valle del Bove in several points, over most of the lava has flowed from the South-East Crater in recent years. The path also allows visiting the aforementioned recently appeared craters and observing, from a relatively close distance, the complex consisting of the two summit chasms, one of which retains the name of Central Crater, and the older 1968 complex of Bocca Nuova and the two sub-terminal North-East and Southeast craters. On the North side, the track has faced much less changes and, with short detour, allows hikers to reach Pizzi Deneri (2,847 m) and the underlying Rocca della Valle (2,738 m). These are extraordinary terraces allowing enjoying a wide panorama that stretches above Valle del Bove and Valle del Leone, both located on the slopes of the volcano. The two ends of the route can be reached by private vehicles and constitute Hiking Base Points.","post_title":"Pista ai Crateri Sommitali","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"pista-ai-crateri-sommitali","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 10:50:35","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 09:50:35","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/pista-ai-crateri-sommitali\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2785,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"The trail is approximately 3 km in length. It was used in the early 1900s by the first skiers from Linguaglossa and Catania, as well as by amateur mountaineers who managed to transform a modest shack that used to serve as an accommodation for the workers who mounted the cableway, into a mountain lodge. This was first called SUCAI and named after Attilio Conti. The trail starts in front of the \"Clan of the boys\" Chalet located along the S.P. Mareneve at 1,462 m of altitude, passes through the ruins of the Conti Lodge and ends at Piano Provenzana, joining the small track that leads hikers and off-road minibuses to the summit areas of the Volcano.","post_title":"Golfo della Monaca","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"golfo-della-monaca","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 11:00:52","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 10:00:52","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/golfo-della-monaca\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2787,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"The route unfolds on a cart track built by private initiative around 1972 to facilitate the transport of tourists to the high altitudes of the Volcano with motorized vehicles, an activity that was never carried out. Subsequently, the whole area became part of the State Property, which forbade the transit of these vehicles. Once abandoned, the cart track remained intact in some sections, while in others only a faint trace remains.\n\nThe trail begins South-West of Monte Baracca at an altitude of 1,715 8 m a.s.l., along Hiking Trail no. 724. Its surrounding environment is characterised by a notable rare scrub of Etna birch settled on volcanic substrata, and develops for 6,900 m. Above 1,900 m of altitude. The trail\u2019s multiple hairpins turn overcome the steep slopes of the North-Eastern side of Pizzi Deneri and, after passing some impluvia, the track reaches Piano delle Concazze at an altitude of 2,791 m North-West of Pizzi Deneri, in the middle of the lava desert typical of the summit areas of Mount Etna. An average gradient of 15.5% with peaks of 20% makes the \u201cTagara del Leone\u201d among the most difficult hiking trails of Mount Etna.","post_title":"Tagara del Leone","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"tagara-del-leone","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 11:18:04","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 10:18:04","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/tagara-del-leone\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2793,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"A forest track departing on the mount side from km no. 22,5 of the S.P. \u201cMareneve di Fornazzo\u201d at an altitude of 1216 m allows reaching Case Paterno through a 1150-metres walk. These are now part of the State Forestry Property and allow entering the Sentiero Italia (Hiking Trail no. 724).","post_title":"Cubania","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cubania","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 11:20:11","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 10:20:11","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/cubania\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2805,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"From the centre of Nicolosi, it is possible to reach the headquarters of the Etna Park. These are worth a visit, as they are located in an ancient monastery. The trail then goes up secondary roads and cart roads to Monte Arso, an impressive extinct volcanic cone that dominates the entire southern slope. Then it crosses partially built-up areas until it reaches the nice rural village of Tarderia, a hamlet of Pedara. Meanwhile, the track has entered the territory of Trecastagni and now touches Casa della Capinera, which was recently renovated to create a Park\u2019s reception centre featuring a restaurant and an exhibition area. A detour allows visiting Monte Ilice, a magnificent lateral crater dating back to the year 1000. The last part of the stage descends to the centre of Zafferana Etnea through small roads and paths in the areas where the wood has retaken over ancient cultivated lands.\n\nAfter leaving the town, which offers multiple possibilities for overnight stays, the track immediately climbs up on a paved road asphalted to Contrada Dagalone. Hence, a mule track begins that offers clear evidence of the activities that once characterised the medium slopes of the volcano, when lava fields were colonised to plant vineyards up to a thousand metres above sea level. Proceeding along the mule track, the trail meets a detour, which, in about ten minutes, allows hikers to observe one of the most fascinating natural monuments of Etna: the Ilice di Carrinu, an over 700-year-old holm oak with a vigorous crown that overlooks a now ruined house. Returning to the mule track, after getting past the pleasant town of Piano Bello and walking along the Valle del Bove it is possible to enjoy beautiful views of the summit area. At the height of Monte Fontane, there is a small road that in a short time leads to the Casolare di Pietracannone and then - after a short section of provincial road - to the Magazzeni area. Here are several accommodation facilities located in the middle of the hazel groves.\n\nThe route then passes through the craters of 1928. These generated the impetuous eruption that led to the destruction of the town of Mascali. The track then encounters a number of votive altars that remember the faith of those who, on that occasion, had their lands spared from the fury of the volcano. Those adequately equipped with a pocket lamp may also enter the eruptive fissure. Further on, the trail enters the State Forestry Property in an area mainly characterised by a vast Turkey oak wood. Entering the territory of Piedimonte Etneo, the trail continues on a moderate ascent up to Monte Crisimo and its panoramic forest that deserves a short stop. To finish the 3rd<\/sup> stage, it is possible to easily cross the lava fields until the trail meets the tall centuries-old Ragabo pine tree woods, where are several buildings available for overnight stay. In the final part of the day, the Sentiero delle Ginestre uses a part of the ancient paved road used to transport timber.\n\nFrom the almost 1,500 m of altitude of the Ragabo pinewood, the trail descends down to Linguaglossa (550 m) on dirt roads that initially touches M. Corruccio (the cave of the same name is a must-see) and then crosses a large area once cultivated and today fully taken over again by wild vegetation. In some sections there is also an old transhumance \u201ctrazzera<\/em>\u201d used by shepherds to transfer the flocks at the end of each season. Once down to the so-called \u201cQuota Mille road\u201d, hikers enter the lava field of 1923, which covered a large cultivated area, to walk out in the open until the track meets the S.S. 120 road near a small, disused station of the Circumetnea Railway. Hence, it turns to reach Linguaglossa.","post_title":"Sentiero delle Ginestre Tappa 1","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"sentiero-delle-ginestre-tappa-1","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 11:23:40","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 10:23:40","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/sentiero-delle-ginestre-tappa-1\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":2806,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-11-12 15:21:28","post_date_gmt":"2019-11-12 14:21:28","post_content":"From the centre of Nicolosi, it is possible to reach the headquarters of the Etna Park. These are worth a visit, as they are located in an ancient monastery. The trail then goes up secondary roads and cart roads to Monte Arso, an impressive extinct volcanic cone that dominates the entire southern slope. Then it crosses partially built-up areas until it reaches the nice rural village of Tarderia, a hamlet of Pedara. Meanwhile, the track has entered the territory of Trecastagni and now touches Casa della Capinera, which was recently renovated to create a Park\u2019s reception centre featuring a restaurant and an exhibition area. A detour allows visiting Monte Ilice, a magnificent lateral crater dating back to the year 1000. The last part of the stage descends to the centre of Zafferana Etnea through small roads and paths in the areas where the wood has retaken over ancient cultivated lands.\n\nAfter leaving the town, which offers multiple possibilities for overnight stays, the track immediately climbs up on a paved road asphalted to Contrada Dagalone. Hence, a mule track begins that offers clear evidence of the activities that once characterised the medium slopes of the volcano, when lava fields were colonised to plant vineyards up to a thousand metres above sea level. Proceeding along the mule track, the trail meets a detour, which, in about ten minutes, allows hikers to observe one of the most fascinating natural monuments of Etna: the Ilice di Carrinu, an over 700-year-old holm oak with a vigorous crown that overlooks a now ruined house. Returning to the mule track, after getting past the pleasant town of Piano Bello and walking along the Valle del Bove it is possible to enjoy beautiful views of the summit area. At the height of Monte Fontane, there is a small road that in a short time leads to the Casolare di Pietracannone and then - after a short section of provincial road - to the Magazzeni area. Here are several accommodation facilities located in the middle of the hazel groves.\n\nThe route then passes through the craters of 1928. These generated the impetuous eruption that led to the destruction of the town of Mascali. The track then encounters a number of votive altars that remember the faith of those who, on that occasion, had their lands spared from the fury of the volcano. Those adequately equipped with a pocket lamp may also enter the eruptive fissure. Further on, the trail enters the State Forestry Property in an area mainly characterised by a vast Turkey oak wood. Entering the territory of Piedimonte Etneo, the trail continues on a moderate ascent up to Monte Crisimo and its panoramic forest that deserves a short stop. To finish the 3rd<\/sup> stage, it is possible to easily cross the lava fields until the trail meets the tall centuries-old Ragabo pine tree woods, where are several buildings available for overnight stay. In the final part of the day, the Sentiero delle Ginestre uses a part of the ancient paved road used to transport timber.\n\nFrom the almost 1,500 m of altitude of the Ragabo pinewood, the trail descends down to Linguaglossa (550 m) on dirt roads that initially touches M. Corruccio (the cave of the same name is a must-see) and then crosses a large area once cultivated and today fully taken over again by wild vegetation. In some sections there is also an old transhumance \u201ctrazzera<\/em>\u201d used by shepherds to transfer the flocks at the end of each season. Once down to the so-called \u201cQuota Mille road\u201d, hikers enter the lava field of 1923, which covered a large cultivated area, to walk out in the open until the track meets the S.S. 120 road near a small, disused station of the Circumetnea Railway. Hence, it turns to reach Linguaglossa.","post_title":"Sentiero delle Ginestre Tappa 2","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"sentiero-delle-ginestre-tappa-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-11-19 11:17:35","post_modified_gmt":"2020-11-19 10:17:35","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/sentieri\/sentiero-delle-ginestre-tappa-2\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"sentiero","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"parcheggi":[{"ID":2535,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-08-30 13:19:59","post_date_gmt":"2019-08-30 11:19:59","post_content":"\n This is a small flattish\narea, at a height of about 700 metres, a short distance from Ballo, a district\nof Zafferana Etnea. Its name comes from the fact that it contains some drainage\npoints on the side of Valle di San Giacomo, which supply water to the towns\nbelow. Trails 704 and 724 can be reached from here, together with the Sentiero\ndelle Ginestre trail. It also marks the starting point of Trail 742, leading to\nthe top of Monte Calanna, an excellent vantage point, with views over the inner\nBove Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Area: 33S<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Coordinates: 508357E - 4172786N<\/strong><\/p>\n","post_title":"Piano dell\u2019Acqua","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"piano-dellacqua","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-10-06 16:01:21","post_modified_gmt":"2020-10-06 14:01:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/parcheggi\/piano-dellacqua\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"parcheggi","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"grotte":"","rifugi":[{"ID":2518,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2019-08-30 13:18:09","post_date_gmt":"2019-08-30 11:18:09","post_content":"\n Built for Prof. Salvatore Citelli on the edge of Monte Concazze in 1935, on an area made available by Cav. Patern\u00f2 del Toscano. The refuge and the land were donated to Catania Section of the CAI (Italian Mountaineering Club). It is located at 1741 metres and can be reached via an asphalt road, while until the 1950s, it could only be reached after a three-hour walk from Fornazzo. It has been renovated recently, using funds from Parco dell\u2019Etna and now it has a small restaurant and can also sleep up to 15 people. The refuge is also a starting point for Route 723, or a meeting point for the Sentiero Italia (Grand Italian Trail - 724).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Area: 33S<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Coordinates: 505241E - 4179747N<\/strong><\/p>\n","post_title":"Rifugio Citelli (1730 m s.l.m.)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"rifugio-citelli-1730-m-s-l-m","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-10-06 15:34:38","post_modified_gmt":"2020-10-06 13:34:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.unescoparcoetna.it\/rifugi\/rifugio-citelli-1730-m-s-l-m\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"rifugi","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"galleria":false,"lunghezza":"27","dislivello_massimo":"1350","tempo_di_percorrenza":"2-3 giorni","difficolta":"medio-alto\/E","percorribilita":"ottima (trekking\/bici)","informazioni_utili":"Ogni diramazione dal percorso principale \u00e8 indicata dalla caratteristica segnaletica del Club Alpino Italiano mentre lungo tutta la pista \u00e8 possibile trovare diversi segni di conforto a suggerire la direzione da seguire. Si consiglia a tutti gli escursionisti di non uscire dal percorso segnalato, di non gettare rifiuti e di non recare disturbo a vegetazione e\/o animali.","relation":"7849045","id_sentiero":"724 \u2013 724A","naturalistici":"","panoramici":"","punti_generici":"","colore":"","punto_di_partenza":{"sentiero_di_partenza":false,"altezza_punto_di_partenza":""},"punto_di_arrivo":{"sentiero_di_arrivo":false,"altezza_punto_di_arrivo":""}},"yoast_head":"\n