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MADONIE -ETNA PASSAGE

Madonie – Etna passage is the most classic among Sicilian walks for trekking. This walk passes through the three regional parks (Madonie, Nebrodi, Etna).
The three parks have some peculiarities that are very interesting from a naturalistic, artistic and cultural point of view.
Among the vegetation, we can find a lot of endemic species, such as Nebrodi Fir (Abies nebrodensis) that despite its name is situated in Madonie, or Etna Birch, or rare and age-old trees like the Yew tree in Nebrodi.
Among the fauna, we can find many species of predatories including some specimens of golden eagle; among the mammalians, it is possible to see the wild cat, (although it is quite difficult to locate it).
All the villages of the three parks are very interesting from an artistic point of view; we can find many churches in which paintings and statues of excellent workmanship are conserved, and we can also find ancient palaces and nobiliary country seats that are situated in medieval urban structures.
As far as cultural aspect is concerned, old activities are still practiced; for instance, charcoal burner job and other craftsmanlike activities.

Finally, we don’t have to disregard the oeno – gastronomic aspect.

TREKKING PROGRAMME

First day:
arrival at Palermo, transfer by coach to Madonie Park.
Dinner and overnight stay in an agritourism.

Second day:
1st lap from Piano Sempria (m 1187) to Piano Battaglia (m 1572), ascent drop m 782, descent drop m 319, run time 4 h, difficulty E.
Breakfast, transfer by coach to Piano Sempria, trekking starting point. Through Piano Pomo gigantic hollies wood and Pizzo Carbonara (m1979), the highest top of Madonie, you get to Piano Battaglia. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel or a refuge.

Third day:
2nd lap: from Piano Battaglia (m 1572) to Petralia Soprana (m 1207), ascent drop m 770, descent drop m 1220, run time h 6.30, difficulty EE.
Breakfast, start of the lap. Through Mount Quacella peak (m 1869), Mount San Salvatore (m 1912) and the Shrine of Madonna dell’Alto (m1819) we get to Petralia Soprana, a fascinating village of medieval origin. Dinner and overnight stay in a small hotel.

Fourth day:
3rd lap: from Petralia Soprana (m 1207) to Villa Rainò (m 580), ascent drop m 190, descent drop m 810, run time h 5, difficulty E.
Breakfast, lap starting point from Portella Ferrone. Through the damp zone of Gorgo di Pollicino (m 1286) and the village Geraci Siculo (m 1077), we get to Villa Rainò.
Dinner and overnight stay in an agritourism.

Fifth day:
span class="userYellowNormal">4th lap: from Serra Merio (m 1090) to casermetta Mafauda (m 1369), drop: the route will wind along a path with an inclination that varies from m 900 to m 1500, run time h 7, difficulty E.
After breakfast we will go by coach to Serra Merio along the road SS 117 of Mistretta, both for logistic reasons and to avoid the stretch of road between Madonie and Nebrodi Parks, that lacks of naturalistic and excursion interest. From Serra Merio we get to the damp zone of Urio Quattrocchi (m 1030) in which there are aquatic turtles. Proceeding along Nebrodi ridge we get to Portella dell’Obolo (m 1503), after about two hours on foot we arrive at Caserma Mafauda, a refuge of Nebrodi Park, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

Sixth day:
5th lap: from Caserma Mafauda (m 1369) to Contrada Camolato (m 1464), drop: the route will have an inclination that varies from m 1300 to m 1500, run time h 7, difficulty E.
After breakfast we resume our journey and, through Portella Calcara (m 1510), Portella del Ceramese (m 1395), Portella Colle Basso (m 1340), Portella Scarno(m 1393), Contrada Fontana Cucciata and Portella della Miraglia (m 1508) we get to Contrada Camolato along the road SS 289 where a coach will take us to Cesarò where we will have dinner with typical Nebrodi products and we will stay overnight in a small hotel.

Seventh day:
6th lap: from Portella Femmina Morta (m 1524) to Trearie Lake (m 1466), drop: the route will wind along a path with an inclination that varies from m 1300 to m 1600, run time h 6, difficulty E.
After breakfast we will go by coach to Portella Femmina Morta; from here, we will go across the zone that maybe is considered the most beautiful zone of Nebrodi Park, the Lake Biviere di Cesarò( m 1283) and we will cross thick woods with rare species such as the Yew tree. In detail, we will pass through Portella Calacudera ( m 1562), Portella Maullazzo(m 1444) and the homonymous lake, the already mentioned Biviere, Portella Balestra (m 1540) that will bring us to Mangalaviti wood and at the end we will pass through Portella Dagara (m 1430) and get to Trearie lakewhere we will have dinner and spend the night in a refuge of Nebrodi park.

Eighth day:
7th lap: from Trearie Lake (m 1466) to road SS 120, descent drop m 616, run time h 3, difficulty E.
This lap is all downhill and will bring us outside the area of Nebrodi park. From Trearie lake through the homonymous district and Flascio stream we get to road SS 120 on the outskirts of Cantoniera Flascio, from where a coach will take us to Refuge Citellion Etna where we will have dinner and stay overnight.

Ninth day:
8th lap. Etna passage, from Refuge Citelli (m 1740) to Refuge Sapienza (m 1881), ascent drop m 1583, descent drop m 1442, run time h 7/8 difficulty EE.
If volcano’s conditions are fine we will cross Etna through the central crater (m 3223). Then we will get to the southern side at Refuge Sapienza where our trekking will finish. Etna passage will be a memorable experience since it is difficult to be indifferent to volcano’s worrying charm.

Tenth day: transfer by coach to Catania airport and end of our services.

The overnight stays will take place in guarded or unguarded refugees and in small hotels. We will have at our disposal a mean to transport the bulk of luggages, so that we can walk with a rucksack bearing everything necessary for the whole day.

Anyway, we suggest you to bring a quite small luggage and preferably a bag and not trolley cases.

Standard mountain clothes: a good pair of trekking boots, torches, a goretex windcheater, spare t-shirts and a big flask (it is easy to find water but it is better to be prudent), a cap and a raincoat.