パテルノの天然記念物・トップ15

Beautiful trail! It's not very popular because it's not a tourist destination, but the passage is very picturesque, thanks in part to the enormous lava flow that runs along the mountain!

Monte Sona is located in the Belpasso area, on the southern slope of Mount Etna, along Provincial Road 92, which leads from Nicolosi to Rifugio Sapienza. It can be reached by driving one kilometer further toward Rifugio Sapienza after the La Nuova Quercia restaurant. Parking is available in the clearing on the left. A wooden plaque indicates the name of the mountain.

Landscape characterized by the presence of numerous bends, river islands, large temporary marshes, vast areas of woodland and reed thickets. Wetland, the presence of a dam has led to the formation of a reservoir which attracts numerous aquatic birds. Protected area In 2009, a decree issued by the regional agriculture department established that the Ponte Barca district site is an oasis of protection and refuge for wild fauna, the latter made up of 70 different species of migratory aquatic birds, and recognized as being of interest community The importance of the Paterno oasis is also due to the fact that it became a nesting place for the Sultan chicken, which returned to reproduce in the seventies, thanks to a project carried out in the Simeto oasis in collaboration with LIPU

Boat Bridge

The traffic on weekends can be annoying in this great landscape

Nice that the official climb only starts at an altitude of over 800 meters

Length 17 km, difference in altitude 1073 m, average gradient 6.3%. The Nicolosi-Rifugio Sapienza climb is the most well-known, most traveled climb on the Etna side and the one of the Giro d'Italia stage won by Contador in 2011 (dedicated to him). The road is very panoramic, smooth and well-maintained asphalt that crosses the young lava flow of 2001. It cuts through a sea of magma with the scent of sulfur that accompanies pedal after pedal. The climb begins by leaving the town of Nicolosi, right from a public fountain, and ends at the Sapienza refuge at an altitude of 1910 m above sea level.

Superb Singletrack, if you are getting off Carretto wheels you have to go through here. Fast and technical enough, suitable for beginners but lots of fun for those who know how to push. Pay attention to the ground which in some places is very soft and sandy, making you lose the front easily.