Destination: Montegiordano Marina
Having had a superb sleep I woke early to the sound of birdsong. It was a glorious day and I was keen to make the most of my morning. I pottered around the campsite for a while, enjoying the peace and tranquility, before heading off.
As I’d missed my Etna tour the previous day, I decided to give my trip into Messina a miss as there hadn’t been much I’d really wanted to see. I thought I’d have a wander up to the car park at Refugio Sapenzia instead, as that like the ‘base station’ for activities on the North side of the mountain.
I was thinking I might try to catch the cable car up to the cafe at 2500m to compensate in some small way for not having done the sunset tour.
Stop 1: Etna
The road up to Refugio Sapenzia was very wind-y and took much longer to drive than expected. I wasn’t helped by the number of tour buses and coaches going up and down the mountain, the hairpins were not so easy for them. It was an interesting drive though, especially as it passed some of the areas that had been reclaimed by the volcano during not so distant eruptions.
There was loads of space in the car park, which is a pay and display, tickets available for 6€ from a ticketing booth in the main Refugio area. I was parked next to a helpful French couple in their classic sports car, who reminded me to put some trousers on over my shorts if heading up the mountain. It was likely to be considerably cooler higher up.
I made my way up to the main ticketing area for the cable car. I could get a trip to the very top by cable car and bus for 75€ or just do the cable car for 20€.
On this occasion, I decided to go for the cheaper option as I had already been to the top of one volcano on this trip. I was also conscious that I had a long drive ahead and that the road back down the mountain was likely to take some time.
The cable car is operated by Funivia dell’Etna and is definitely worth doing if you are in the area. There are great views on the way up the mountain, and it’s quite funny passing directly above the hikers making the ascent on foot. If you would prefer to do this, there are plenty of organised hiking tours from the Refugio Sapienza. There are also tours including other options, such as going up the mountain via 4×4 jeep, bus or quad bike.
There is a cafe/restaurant at the top of the cable car ride and it has a nice outside seating area as well as tables inside. Considering there are no other options nearby it’s also very reasonable, I had a coffee and some cake and it came in just under 5€.
For those continuing up the mountain by bus, there’s a stop just outside, where they would pick you up. However this was as far as I was going on this occasion, although I’m hopeful to get a bit further up in future!
I had a wander around the rock formations, and sat for a while just taking in the magnificent views. There’s something abolutely magical about being high up in the clouds.
As it is a lot more active than Vesuvius, Etna is definitely more how I’d imagined a volcano might be. Looking at the villages below, I couldn’t help wonder why on earth all those people would live that close to something that could be so destructive. Especially having seen what had happened to Pompeii.
But in that moment, it was incredibly peaceful and a lovely place just to be alone with my thoughts.
Before long it was time to head back down to Refugio Sapienza for a quick walk around one of the dormant craters before heading off.
Stop 2: Messina
As I had suspected, the drive down from Etna took a while, but thankfully once I’d reached the bottom of the mountain, it was a main road all the way to Messina.
As I’d opted to visit Etna rather than explore Messina, I headed straight for the port. As with the journey over from the mainland, the embarking process was super quick. Just a flash of my ticket in the Caronte & Touriste app, and I was into the queue for the ferry.
I was on a slightly bigger ferry this time and the crossing seems a bit smoother, although I could have just been imagining that. It was a beautiful day, but I was a bit sad I’d not seen a little bit more of Sicilia while I was there. I guess that just means i have to go back!
Stop 3: Montegiordano Marina
I had a super long drive and not wanting to be late for my camping I decided not to stop until I’d reached Montegiordano Marina. When I got there I was knackered so decided to go for a walk along the ‘lungomare’ (seafront) which was really pretty.
It seemed that although quite a touristy little place, it was very much an Italian resort and because of that has retained a lot of it’s charm. There are quite a few cafe/bars and restaurants and some very well kept gardens bordering the long waterfront. I felt really safe and probably spent a little too long enjoying the evening sun as I ended up being late for my campsite.
I decided I would find the site, pitch up and then come back and get some food in one of the restaurants along the prom.
Overnight: Camping Colombia
I was camping overnight at a site called Camping Colombia that I had booked via Pitchup. My satnav was having a right episode and for some reason could not find it at all. I would definitely recommend using the ‘what-three-words’ to find it. Alternatively, head for the seafront and with the sea in front of you, just keep going left along the waterfront.
I had rung ahead and the really helpful guy at the site had navigated me to the private road the site was on. I guess this was why it wasn’t on the satnav as it was little more than a track. Ironically, although I had been driving round and round the town for ages, the site was barely any distance from where I had been earlier!
I was quite late when I finally got there, but the person I’d spoken to on the phone waited until I was settled before he went off for his dinner. His name was Giovanni and he was absolutely lovely, he literally could not do enough to help. He even sorted out some electric for me, despite me not having the right connector.
As it was the very end of their season, I was the only person on the site, so had the pick of pitches. I found one right in the middle of a wooded area near the sea, it was perfect.
Once I’d settled in I headed back to one of the restaurants I’d seen earlier, Il Trullo, a lovely little seafood restaurant right on the beach. Although I thought it was probably a bit late for food, I decided to have a couple of beers and listen to the waves breaking. There were only a couple of people in the bar, so I checked with the bar person that it was ok to sit with a beer, and they assured me it was.
Shortly afterwards, they came over and asked if I’d like to join them at a table. How lovely! After a while I realised I was sitting with the restaurant owners Antonio and Marta, who were just having supper before they closed up. Imagine my surprise, when Marta disappeared into the kitchen and emerged with a plateful of supper for me!
Honestly, I was blown away. I’d been so impressed with the friendliness and hospitality I’d been shown so far on my trip, but this was something else.
If anyone reading this does happen to pass through Montegiordano Marina, please drop into Il Tullo and experience the welcome for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
After we’d all finished supper and several beers, it was time to let Antonio and Marta get to their beds. I made my way to the campsite, where lovely Giovanni was waiting to make sure I’d got back safely before locking up.
Seriously, what more could anyone ask?
