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Sapienza Hut – Etna - South Side loop from Villa di Giarre

Sapienza Hut – Etna - South Side loop from Villa di Giarre

Hard

4.7

(12)

320

riders

Sapienza Hut – Etna - South Side loop from Villa di Giarre

04:39

73.6km

2,070m

Road cycling

Hard road ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: March 6, 2026

Tips

The surface along some of this route may not be suitable

Some segments of your route comprise a surface that may not be suitable for your chosen sport.

After 982 m for 112 m

After 10.7 km for 82 m

After 62.7 km for 906 m

After 72.5 km for 80 m

After 72.8 km for 73 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

14.0 km

Fossazza

Forest

16.6 km

Descent Through the Lava Field at Silvestri Craters

Highlight (Segment) • Volcano

Since the road surface is sometimes very bumpy, if possible choose this route for the driveway, the road is much better in the direction of Nicolosi (09/2017)

Translated by Google •

Tip by

28.0 km

View of Mount Etna (east side)

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great view, worth it in any weather

Translated by Google •

Tip by

28.4 km

Sapienza Hut

Highlight • Mountain Hut

The Sapienza refuge is the starting point for climbing the crater of Etna, it is also a very famous place for road cycling, as it hosted the arrival of some stages of the Giro d'Italia.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

31.8 km

View of Catania from Parco dell'Etna

Highlight • Viewpoint

Great view of the sea

Translated by Google •

Tip by

33.6 km

The Sapienza refuge is the highest place on Etna that can be reached by racing bike. If you start from Catania, therefore at sea level, you will overcome a height difference of 1910 meters, which extends over a distance of over 30 kilometres. As the gradient is fairly smooth, there aren't any particularly steep sections, overall it's a fairly smooth and easy ride. However, traffic in Catania and for the first 12 kilometers up to Nicolosi is quite heavy, you'll be happy to be able to turn from Nicolosi onto the much quieter mountain road up to the Refuge. The climb is also extremely sunny, as it leads through urban areas in the lower section and over lava fields in the upper section, where shade is naturally scarce.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

43.2 km

Silvestri Craters

Highlight • Volcano

The keyway for the descent must not be missing ;-)

Translated by Google •

Tip by

48.2 km

Nicolosi

Highlight • Settlement

After leaving the raging traffic of Catania behind, Nicolosi is the first town to reach and the town is very sizeable. As usual around the Etna, the main street is paved with black and quite rough lava planks. If the bottles have already been empty, here is another great opportunity to fill them, if you want to continue towards Refugio Sapienza - on the lava fields you will search for springs and wells in vain.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

73.6 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

70.9 km

1.88 km

757 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

70.0 km

1.99 km

1.55 km

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Monday 11 May

27°C

15°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 11.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Sapienza Hut – Etna - South Side loop from Villa di Giarre

Descent Through the Lava Field at Silvestri Craters

View of Mount Etna (east side)

Rifugio Sapienza Parking

Sapienza Hut

View of Catania from Parco dell'Etna

Etna - South Side

Silvestri Craters

Nicolosi

Nearby routes

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