Etna Marathon

The route of the Etna Marathon will take you through the lunar landscapes of one of the most exciting and attended mountain bike races in Europe. The itinerary is tough but fascinating, technical but fun and will let you discover - in about 78 kilometers of forest roads and breathtaking single-tracks - a Sicily far from that of beaches and postcards.

The Etna Marathon starts from the town of Milo and follows the asphalt in the direction of Linguaglossa before climbing the east side of Etna and quickly gaining altitude. Through a landscape that alternates bare lava fields with thick vegetation, you will reach the centuries-old pine forest of Linguaglossa, where the itinerary makes a ring that includes a section of the Pista Altomontana dell'Etna. Here the view opens onto the Alcantara Valley on one side and the smoking peak of the volcano on the other.

The route then cuts through the pine forest mainly downhill until it intercepts again, near the Serra Buffa refuge, the dirt road which climbs up the eastern slope of Etna. The climb winds through the Bosco della Cerrita, so called because it is made up of a particular type of oak: the Turkey oak.

Waiting for you at the end of the climb is Trofa du Camperi, a centuries-old beech wrapped in a legend that tells of a farmer who took care of it every day and who was found lifeless at its feet. The beech marks the end of the climb and the beginning of the descent which, along the eastern edge of the Valle del Bove, takes you back to the houses of Milo.