The best MTB trails around Floresta

Beautiful area equipped with bathrooms and a fountain with drinking water

The Santa Maria del Bosco refuge is easy to reach and is equipped with fresh drinking water, toilets, BBQ sites, firewood, a room always open with a fireplace and wooden bunk beds, camping sites, swings and a football pitch.

At 1,435 meters above sea level, it is the highest natural lake in Sicily. It falls within the municipalities of Tortorici and Randazzo.

Splendid path that runs along the lake

Wonderful place, but to get there there is a steep climb full of stones. In the heart of the Nebrodi Park, in the Acquasanta district, in the municipality of Tortorici, in the province of Messina, there is a sacred place for the people of the Nebrodi: the Chapel of the Three Virgins. This "chapel", located at about 1200 meters on the slope of Monte Trearie, appears as an anonymous rustic house characterized by the presence of a small iron cross on the roof. Inside there is a small altar with a small pool of sulphurous water, vases of flowers, numerous sacred images and two benches. A man had gone with his three daughters to collect firewood. He had chosen this solitary area, instigated by his stepmother with the intention of abandoning them. The girls did not notice their father's escape. As the hours passed, desperate and lost, they realized the sad reality. As evening fell they took shelter behind a bush. At the first light of dawn a hunter passed by that place. Believing that the noises behind the bush were made by an animal, he shot an arrow, killing one of the girls. The two surviving sisters, terrified, begged him to spare them. The hunter, overcome by amazement and panic, did not want to leave witnesses. He chased, killed and buried the girls to make every trace disappear. Over time, the three girls lost their memory. Their father, out of remorse, had died of a broken heart. The hunter went mad, every night he relived that tormented scene, the screams, the blood and committed suicide.

The train station in Randazzo is a transfer station when circumnavigating the entire Etna massif with the Ferrovia Circumetnea. The circumnavigation requires a certain amount of planning. Unfortunately, there is no longer a complete circuit by train. Depending on the time of year (and probably with changes/more deteriorations over the years), you have to plan the individual sections with transfer or waiting times in the transfer stations precisely. However, these waiting times can be put to good use for activities in the individual towns. In Giarre you have to change between the two train stations Giarre-Riposto and Giarre. The journey, which is only 300 m long, takes a maximum of five minutes, so a tour of the nearby (western) old town is recommended if you have more time. Here in Randazzo you can take a tour of the old town, which is well worth seeing, with its cathedral, other interesting churches and several old city gates. In Bronte, where there are two train stations, a hike to the impressive lava fields in the southeast is highly recommended, as well as a tour of the old town on the hill. Don't forget to try the famous pistachios (possibly as ice cream, cake, etc.). From Giarre to Bronte via Randazzo, the slow journey through the interesting, diverse landscape with great, changing views of Etna is extremely exciting. It then becomes increasingly monotonous up to Catania, especially since several routes run underground (as a metro). In Catania, you have to change from Borgo to the central station (Catania Centrale). The shortest route is a good three kilometers long and takes three quarters of an hour. But longer routes through the extremely impressive old town are also worthwhile. The remaining railway line to the east of Etna runs along the coast through populated areas with many towns. Overall, the Etna circuit by train is a great experience with a variety of experiences and impressions and guarantees an unforgettable day. But that's what it takes.

Impressive black church in Randazzo

Well looked after refuge. Spectacular view of the Nebrodi mountains