
702 / Pista ai Crateri Sommitali

Information










Description
It consists of a dirt road built several decades ago by the licensed companies in charge of trasporting tourists by off-road minibuses. It departs from the two ski resorts and ends at the authorised quotas, which have varied through the years according to the risk arising from volcanic activity. The road starts on the south side, at an altitude of 1,910 m, next to the Cableway station and encircles the summit area at an altitude of around 3,000 m a.s.l., keeping the distance from the complex of terminal and sub-terminal craters, thus ensuring a reasonable level of security. It then descends to Piano Provenzana (about 1,800 m) where there is an additional ski resort.
The track is shared between hikers and motor vehicles. On the south side, it has been modified or even completely remade a number times in the 1970s, 1980s and early 2000s, when the new Escrivà de Balaguer and Vincenzino Barbagallo craters appeared along it and large lava flows cross edits south-descending ridge.
From this side, short detours allow hikers to overlook the underlying Valle del Bove in several points, over most of the lava has flowed from the South-East Crater in recent years. The path also allows visiting the aforementioned recently appeared craters and observing, from a relatively close distance, the complex consisting of the two summit chasms, one of which retains the name of Central Crater, and the older 1968 complex of Bocca Nuova and the two sub-terminal North-East and Southeast craters. On the North side, the track has faced much less changes and, with short detour, allows hikers to reach Pizzi Deneri (2,847 m) and the underlying Rocca della Valle (2,738 m). These are extraordinary terraces allowing enjoying a wide panorama that stretches above Valle del Bove and Valle del Leone, both located on the slopes of the volcano. The two ends of the route can be reached by private vehicles and constitute Hiking Base Points.
Caves
No Caves |
Parking lots
No Parking |