Etna Driving Tour

A drive round Etna, starting from Catania (144km/89mi, also possible by rail), is very rewarding. The road runs via Misterbianco (213m/703ft; pop. 15,000), Paternò (225m/743ft; pop. 46,500) with a castle built by Roger I in 1073 (rebuilt in the 14th century; well-preserved interior), towering above the town, to Adrano (588m/1,940ft; pop. 34,000), beautifully situated on a lava plateau, with a Norman castle containing an Archeological Museum and the convent of Santa Lucia, 15th-17th century.

About 9km/5.5mi southwest of Adrano, picturesquely situated on a steep hill above the Simeto valley, with a magnificent view of Etna, is the little town of Centuripe (730m/2,409ft; pop. 6750), formerly Centorbi, with the so-called Castello di Corradino (first century B.C.). The Archeological Museum contains finds from the ancient Siculan town of Centuripae which rose to importance in the late Hellenistic-Roman period and was destroyed by Frederick II in 1233 (interesting the Hellenistic-Roman house "Contrada panneria", with paintings of the second-first centuries B.C.).

From Adrano the road continues via Bronte (760m/2,508ft; pop. 20,000), Maletto (960m/3,168ft; old castle), Randazzo and Linguaglossa (600m/1,980ft; pop. 4,500) to Fiumefreddo (62m/205ft). Then back to Catania on the motorway A18 or S.S.114.