Trekking the Monti Sartorius

This path, one of the most evocative and popular in the territory of the Park, is located on the north-eastern side of Etna, a few hundred meters from the historic Rifugio Citelli. The route, which is of exceptional interest both from a geological and botanical point of view, runs in a ring starting from the forest barrier at an altitude of 1,660 m. above sea level for about four kilometers.

Along the path, which has 6 observation points, there are clearings rich in endemic species. You can admire the Monte Frumento, which represents one of the largest adventitious cones of Etna. The great geological interest is instead represented by the imposing lava flow of 1865, which gave rise to the Sartorius Mountains (in honor and in memory of the scholar Sartorius von Walterhausen, who was the first to map the most important eruptions of Etna), characterized from the typical “buttonhole” alignment of the eruptive cones.

The majestic flow extends for about eight square kilometers, with an average thickness of the lavas of over 12 m; the surface morphology is very bumpy due to the presence of lava and scoriaceous blocks.