We left early in the morning to take the route from Floresta to Taormina at the foothill of Etna. Floresta is 1,275 metres high. It is a small village with many festivals during the summer, including the October Fest. I highly recommend it as you can find every typical Sicilian food product there. There is also lots of entertainment as well as plenty of food stalls. The road we took is very popular with motorbikes as there are lots of bends (a biker’s paradise). As you reach the first village (Santa Domenica Vittoria), you are at the foothill of this majestic volcano.
The black town of Randazzo
It is from this point onwards that you will see the volcano from every angle. The views are spellbinding and the drive is spectacular. The road has just recently been asphalted and makes it very smooth. As you go along this road, you will encounter many beautiful villages such as linguaglossa, piedimonte di Etneo, Castiglione di Sicilia, Fiumefreddo di Sicilia as well as the large town of Randazzo. You can read more about them here. It is from here that in my opinion, Randazzo has the best views on the other side of Etna. It is a large town with about 10,000 inhabitants.
The whole town reflects its constant looming shadow which is also as black as the volcano itself. Infact, the town was built using the lava rock from the volcano. Even if the colour is black, it is very impressive. There is always a backdrop of church domes, belltowers and magnificent cathedrals and an abundance of bright colourful flowers everywhere. We stopped first for a cannolo and cappuccino and then wandered around waiting for its Medieval festival to start. I recommend visiting it when they have this festival which usually starts around the last week of July.
The Medieval town at the foothill of Etna
The Medieval town comes alive with archers, acrobats and royal figures dressed in the most beautiful regal costumes. All the towns people take part but also those from the surrounding towns. The parade starts at around 6pm and goes well into the early hours of the morning. There are concerts and food stalls. It really does feel like you have gone back to the Middle Ages as you see taverns with objects from that period. You can also see people playing chess and practising archery. Etna had recently erupted so we were lucky to see smoke billowing out of it. There were flashes of red flames.
We quickly drove to the viewpoint just above the town to see this spectacle. I had never been so close to it when it was erupting but that felt pretty close. We could not stop admiring it. It was so beautiful against the night sky in July. We had this view all the way to Taormina. They say the view is better from the Greek Theatre in Taormina, but coming from Floresta to Taormina was a different experience. This allowed us to see the other side of Etna. You can read here about my previous experiences on Etna.
Wine on the slopes of Etna
All throughout the summer, many vineyards at the foothill of Etna organise wonderful evenings. You can sip and taste different wines grown of the slopes of Etna while admiring the view of the volcano. One in particular, Firriato winery organises an event on the 15th of August. This is an opportuntiy to try their wines, taste local products and dance in its vineyard until early hours of the morning. I will try this next year and let you know. A perfect event for wine conneissuers.