Scheduled departures daily from Piano Provenzana, Etna's northern slope, with special 4×4 off-road vehicles of the latest generation, environmental class euro 5 and euro 6 regularly authorized by the Etna Park Authority.
The hike to the summit area, assisted by mountain or volcanological guides authorized by law, starts at an altitude of 1,800 meters (Piano Provenzana) and continues along the scenic road that, among ancient craters and recent lava flows, will allow us to reach the Volcanological Observatory located at an altitude of 2,850 meters.
Starting the ascent, the first stop will allow to observe the ruins of the hotel " Le Betulle" , the only visible structure among those destroyed by the lava flow of October 27, 2002.
We continue in the direction of the craters "Umberto and Margherita," located at an altitude of about 2,380 meters, where it is possible to make a small trek on the edge of these two huge extinct craters, where you can feel the full force of a nature that creates and destroys.
Once the visit is over, we set off again in the direction of the volcanological observatory located at Pizzi Deneri, at an altitude of 2,818 meters. After leaving the off-road vehicle, accompanied by our guides, begins a short trekking route of about 15 minutes that will take us to the top of the Pizzi Deneri promontory at an altitude of 2,850 meters where, weather conditions permitting, it is possible to admire the Aeolian Islands, the Ionian Coast from Syracuse to Taormina, the Gulf of Giardini Naxos and the Calabrian coast.
In addition, it is possible to observe, from a distance and in complete safety, the summit craters overlooking the majestic Bove Valley, which many times has been an important protective barrier for villages located downstream from the summit craters during countless lava flows.
Back on the vehicles, the next stop will be the eruptive theater of the October 27, 2002 eruption with its characteristic button craters. Arriving at the destination at an altitude of about 1,900 meters, the trekking on the flows and explosive products begins. The loop trail, will allow walking along the edges of the craters and admiring their morphology called "buttonhole" morphology typical of the volcano's lateral eruptions. After reaching the summit (about 2,050 meters above sea level), it will be possible to enjoy the impressive view of the eruptive theater and the lava flow that destroyed the tourist resort of Piano Provenzana. This will be followed by a short descent down a sandy slope to the all-terrain vehicles available for the return to Piano Provenzana.