AITNE is a Catania-based association of fully-qualified ski instructors and volcano guides authorised to take people into the mountains, particularly in volcanic areas, both in Italy and abroad. The guides are from the Catania area and therefore Mount Etna is their main focus.
Climbing Mount Etna, on either the easier or more difficult routes, is a must for travellers to Sicily who want to have a uniqe travel experience. The volcano represents much more than a mountain. The climb takes you through different landscapes of extraordinary beauty, such as both old and recent lava flows, long slopes of volcanic sand, the lava arches and volcanic cones at the top of which open the lava ducts. Even more striking are the visits to caves created by the trail of lava that has cooled on the surface but has continued to flow inside, sometimes even overlapping levels, creating a lava tube. Grotta del Gelo, wich hosts the most southern everlasting ice in Italy, is one of these caves. We offer all types of excursions for all levels of fitness from hiking for a few hours on easy paths with a high educational focus to full-day excursions on the routes which require more physical and technical effort. For the more demanding hikers we also organize multi-day tours with bivouac. Etna excursions can take place practically all year round either hiking, skiing or mountain biking on remote trails and snowy slopes allowing you to explore all the different outdoor options our mountain has to offer.
