Etna Nord – Road bike excursion

Guided road bike excursion in Sicily, on the north side of the Etna volcano.
From the sea of Giardini Naxos to Piano Provenzana.

Cyclo tourism in Sicily has been an established reality for years. And cycling on the highest active volcano in Europe certainly doesn’t happen every day.

The climb of Mt Etna from the north side is an 80 km long itinerary with almost 2 km of altitude difference, to discover the highest active volcano in Europe. A road bike excursion in Sicily, crossing stone villages and lunar landscapes, that you will be proud to tell your friends about it.

An unmissable proposal signed Etna Exclusive, and dedicated to sports tourists who love to combine training to the landscape. A tour that will see at your side a cyclist expert guide of Etna, for the best technical and naturalistic support along the trip!

ITINERARY

The departure of this excursion is scheduled from our bike point in Giardini-Naxos.
After setting the bikes and providing a quick explanation of the itinerary, we will set out to conquer the most popular volcano among cyclists in the world: Mt Etna!

The guided road bike excursion begins by biking from Naxos towards Catania on the SS 114 for about 5 km in absolute lowland road, to warm up your muscles and get familiar with our road bike. As soon as the first section is finished, the road will begin to gradually rise with a gradient that varies between 5% and 10% for about 5 km.

The start of the climb

We cross the upper part of the town of Fiumefreddo di Sicilia where a gentle but steady climb begins. Quickly the scenery around us will change from coastal to hilly, and so will the vegetation: citrus groves give way to olive groves, cultivated fields and hazelnut groves, which will color the landscape around us.

The first “wall”

We cross the upper part of the town of Fiumefreddo di Sicilia where a gentle but steady climb begins. Quickly the scenery around us will change from coastal to hilly, and so will the vegetation: citrus groves give way to olive groves, cultivated fields and hazelnut groves, which will color the landscape around us.

Climbing Etna north will bring us to the first “wall” that will lead us straight to the Etna wine route. This first climb, in fact, will take us to the town of Piedimonte Etneo, the first and true village developed and built entirely on the ancient lava flows of the north-east side of Mt. Etna. Taking a look at our cycle-computer we will notice that we have already cycled for about 10 km with about 350 meters of elevation gain. Not bad, guys!

We will continue uphill for another 7 km with some short but intense stretches with gradients of 14-15% to reach the hamlets of Presa and Vena, where there is one of the six Sicilian monasteries built by Gregorio Magno about 1500 years ago, which rises upstream of the village of Piedimonte at 730 meters above sea level, overlooking the Etnean slopes with a breathtaking view. We are in a mystical place between history, legend and religion.

Etna Wine Road

The landscape also changes: now the citrus groves give way to fruit trees, cherry trees, pear trees, apple trees, chestnuts, hazelnuts, etc, which will brighten our refreshment stops at no cost.

The end of the first real climb will be at the intersection with SP 59: so far we will have covered about 18 km and 800m of altitude: we are now traveling along the Wine Road that crosses Etna from the west to the east side. Here the numerous wineries (about 160 between large and small, data updated to 2021) produce a quality red wine following strict regulations that have earned Etna doc, a wine with a controlled designation of origin right on the eastern side of Etna. Here the vines such as -Nerello Mascalese – find favorable weather conditions, such as sun exposure, high temperature range and vertical cultivation limit.

Staying at high altitude, we will have our break from climbing, at the “Sicilian plain” for about 5 km, up to the hamlet of Fornazzo, that as we recall was part of the Mountain Grand Prix of the 2017 Giro d’Italia.

Bartali & Coppi

We are now going to climb north Etna dedicated to the bicycle masters, Bartali & Coppi.
Here , we will fill our water bottles with water coming from natural springs of Etna before tackling the last big climb of the day, that is the Bartali & Coppi climb which from Fornazzo, at an altitude of 827m, will take us to the Refuge Citelli at about 1750m of altitude, marking a climb of 13.9 km with a difference in height of 923 meters and with an average gradient of 6.5%.

The effort of the climb will be felt, but it will be absolutely rewarded by the beauty of the places we will cross, among thick beech woods, expanses of lava flows and, finally, almost at the top, a splendid centuries-old forest of silver birches, typical tree of Northern Europe which has settled in very well here.

We will reach the highest point of our trip once we arrive at the historic Rifugio Citelli, inaugurated in the post-war period and completely renovated in 2011, built in the caldera of an old crater called Monte delle Concazze, which has become, due to its position, base point N.15 and excellent starting point for many trekking and mountain bike excursions.

The great descent

After having quenched our thirst and filled our bellies , we will begin the long descent of about 18 km on the opposite side of the one we have travelled uphill, crossing the Ragabo pine forest the largest and highest in Italy. We will continue our descent till we reach Piedimonte Etneo.

Upon returning to the base our odometer will mark 80 km and 1900 mt D+.

An experience that we will carry forever in our memories and in our hearts.

Do not hesitate to contact us for any information. We answer the phone from 8-13 and from 15-20 or write to info@etnaexclusive.com (answer within 12/24 hours) or whatsapp at the following number: (+39) 333 6815630

For the type of effort that must be faced we must always consider the physical conditions of all participants.
We understand that based on interpretation and intensity, this excursion can be a complete workout with a considerable exercise load.

It is recommended
Technical / sports clothing suitable for sport pedaling on mountain bikes, trekking / tennis shoes (we also have the possibility to mount SPD pedals to give you the opportunity to use your technical bike shoes, but the request must be made at the time of booking), gloves, sunglasses or cycling glasses, sunscreen (summer period).