Sicily
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Etna Park
Hotels Etna Park
Restaurants Typical Products Services
Restaurants Typical Products Services
Mount Etna covers an area of about 1600 square kilometres and is situated between the sea, the valleys of the Alcantara and Simeto rivers and the plain of Catania.
The Etna Park was instituted in 1987 and comprises the comuni (municipalities) of Adrano, Belpasso, Biancavilla, Bronte, Castiglione di Sicilia, Giarre, Linguaglossa, Nicolosi, Maletto, Maniace, Milo, Pedara, Piedimonte Etneo, Santa Maria di Licodia, Ragalna, Trecastagni, Viagrande, Zafferana, Randazzo and Sant'Alfio.
The park's area extends around the volcano which is the largest in Europe and one of the most active in the world, resulting in unique and unrivalled beauty, a truly fine natural paradise. Whether by car, on foot, horseback, mountain bike, by skiing or on the Circumetnea railway, there are a large number of permitted routes for touring and gastronomic, historical and cultural excursions. With the object of safeguarding the environment, the park is divided into four zones. Zone A consists of about 19,000 hectares (45,000 acres), almost all in public ownership and is the largest unspoilt space - the kingdom of birds of prey. Zone B is about 26,000 hectares (64,200 acres) in size and consists of small, privately owned agricultural plots. There is an abundance of ancient farm and manor houses. Zones C and D comprise an area of 14,000 hectares (34,600 acres) which is a pre-park area where consent has been given for some tourist constructions.
Throughout all four zones, the lava is spread out in startling shapes in which the folds, fissures and gorges provide many sites for the plants and animals. A century and a half ago, the animals constituting the Etna fauna included wolves, boar, deer and goats which have now all completely disappeared. Instead, living in the park today there are still porcupines, foxes, wild cats, martens, hares, weasels, hedgehogs, dormice, field mice and bats. Amongst the birds, raptors are predominant. The park's flora is extremely varied and rich, characterised by a number of factors, amongst which the volcanic nature of the mountain is predominant.
At Etna Park, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, farm holiday, farmhouse, residence self-catering accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent, holiday homes, camp sites and tourist villages.
