The ultimate Sicilian trail ride and a truly fantastic adventure, taking you from the Madonie Mountains through enchanting valleys and incredibly varied landscapes to reach the majestic Mount Etna, circle the volcano and return through the breathtaking Nebrodi Mountains, one of the greenest and most unspoilt areas of the island, before returning to the Madonie Mountains.

Itinerary

Day 1: After your transfer from Palermo Airport, you will arrive at Il Bosco. There we have reserved a historic country house for you in the wild natural landscape of Madonie Park, with breathtaking views of the north coast of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. You can look forward to dinner made with regional ingredients and an overnight stay here.

Day 2: After breakfast, you will set off straight away. You will be assigned your horse and then set off on your first ride. You will ride through dense Mediterranean vegetation with magnificent views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Near the town of Castelbuono, you will stop for a picnic before riding through the valley of the Pollina River. One of the most fascinating, wildest, most scenic and least known areas of Sicily is located between Castelbuono, San Mauro Castelverde and Geraci Siculo. You will ride along enchanting and forgotten paths to reach the Casalvecchio farm. You will spend the night here and enjoy a delicious dinner prepared with products directly from the farm.

Day 3: After breakfast, you will leave Casalvecchio. You will begin your ride along a trazzera, an ancient path used to transport goods and animals across the island. You will head towards Gangi, a town situated on a hill with ancient and mysterious origins. After leaving Gangi behind, you will ride across mountain pastures with magnificent views of the surrounding landscape to the Bosco die Sperlinga, a natural forest where you will enjoy a picnic. In the afternoon, you will continue to the village of Sperlinga, a fascinating place with inhabited caves and a unique castle carved into the rock. You will visit the village and the castle before a short ride takes you to Baglio San Pietro, a restored 17th-century farmstead with a swimming pool, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 4: You will leave Baglio San Pietro after breakfast. You will start the day with a descent into the valley of the Salso Cimarosa river, which you will then follow through unspoilt nature, surrounded by the impressive peaks of the Erean mountains. After a picnic break, you will continue through the wild valley of the Salso Cimarosa, followed by the valley of the Troina de Sotto river, through the areas of Gagliano Castelfferrato and Troina, historic hill towns with ancient origins. In the late afternoon, you will reach the Le Querce di Cota farm, a beautiful accommodation with a swimming pool, where you will enjoy a delicious meal made with local organic products and spend the night.

Day 5: Today you will follow the valley of the Troina di Sotto river. You will then climb through hilly farmland before descending into the valley of the Troina river, with views of the mountains and the majestic Mount Etna. Dinner and overnight stay at Lo Scuderio, a farmhouse in a quiet valley in the territory of San Teodoro.

Day 6: After breakfast, you will ride along the river to the area around Bronte, famous for its pistachio production, and pass through the lively town of Bronte before beginning the ascent up the western slopes of Mount Etna. The Pista Altomontana trail takes you close to Monte Scavo through beech and conifer forests and over old and new lava flows. On a clear day, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of half of Sicily and the summit of Mount Etna. It is also possible to enjoy some excellent galloping on this part of the trail. You will have a picnic near the Galvarina refuge and in the late afternoon you will reach Giardion di Efesto, a charming hotel in the woods at 1700 metres above sea level, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 7: You will ride through the Rifugio Sapienza area to reach the impressive Silvestri craters, which were formed during a major eruption at the end of the 19th century and are known as Bottoniera (buttonhole) because they follow a line like the buttons on a shirt. Now you descend through the area known as the Etna Desert, so called because of its arid landscape and lack of paths. You then ride through oak and chestnut forests before reaching the area of Zafferanan Etnea, famous for its honey production. You then continue to your next accommodation, Feudo Magazzeni, a beautiful historic estate that has recently been restored in the Sant Alfio area. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8: A rest day for horses and riders! There is the option of booking an excursion to Mount Etna (by jeep or on foot) or an Etna wine tasting...

Day 9: At the start of the day, you will climb the north-eastern side of Mount Etna through the forests. Among other things, you will find the famous Ilici di Carrinnu, a green oak tree that is centuries old and enormous in size. Then you will ride along the edge of the Valle del Bove, a famous depression in the landscape where the lava from almost all the eruptions of Etna's south-eastern crater flows. This is the highest and most active crater of the volcano. After a picnic, we climb up to the impressive Sartorius crater, which was formed during a major eruption in 1865, before riding through birch and mountain pine forests to Piano Provenzana. Here you follow a series of paths through a lunar landscape and cross the site of Etna's last major eruption in October 2002. You ride along the crater and pass the forest of Monte Nero and the Timpa Rosa hut, nestled in enchanting beech forests. After crossing the lava flow of 1928, you reach the Rago Pinnienwald forest, in the middle of which lies the Chalet Clan dei Ragazzi, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 10: Today you will follow the Pista Altomontana to the Monte Spagnolo area, passing through some very scenic areas, including the lava flow of 1981 and its hornitos - small holes that opened up during the eruption and whose name derives from the Spanish word for small ovens. The descent down the north-western slopes of Mount Etna takes you through beautiful forests to the foot of the volcano, where a picnic awaits you. In the afternoon, we begin the ascent of Monte Colla, the first mountain of the Nebrodi peaks on the eastern side. In the late afternoon, we reach the Hotel Nebrodi, the most remote hotel on the island, housed in an 18th-century noble residence. Here you will enjoy a delicious dinner with local products and spend the night.

Day 11: From Monte Colla, you will reach the famous Dorsale, a trail that follows the ridge of the Nebrodi Mountains for 40 km. Amidst a stunningly beautiful landscape, you will ride through lush forests that give way to clearings with panoramic views of the Aeolian Islands to the north and the majestic peak of Mount Etna to the south. You will pass the lakes of Carolari and Biviere, a resting place for migratory birds, and finally Lake Maulazzo, overlooked by Monte Soro, the highest peak of the Nebrodi Mountains (1,847 m). You will reach Villa Mirgalia, a charming hotel in the heart of the Nebrodi Park, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 12: Today you continue along the ridge, through beech and oak forests. In the afternoon, the descent from the Nebrodi Mountains begins along wild and forgotten paths with spectacular views of the centre of the island. You will ride through the charming town of Capizzi and, in the late afternoon, reach Monte Soprano in the Cerami area. Here you will find a large farm with a swimming pool, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 13: You leave the Nerodi Park behind and ride into the Sambughetti-Campanito Reserve in the Nikosia area (province of Enna). As you leave the reserve, you stop for a picnic before continuing under the huge turbines of a wind farm, with breathtaking views of the north coast of the island and the Madonie Mountains. In the afternoon, you will reach the picturesque medieval village of Geraci Siculo, dominated by its castle ruins, which was once the seat of the Barons of Vetimiglia, one of the most important feudal families on the island since the 11th century. Dinner and overnight stay at the Hotel Donna Vie, equipped with a spa.

Day 14: Today you will ride through the beautiful village of Geraci Siculo before beginning the descent through a beautiful cork oak forest. You will ride to the town of Castelbuono, where a picnic awaits you at an old abandoned water mill. In the afternoon, you will ride along beautiful panoramic trails through varied vegetation with olive groves, vineyards and dense Mediterranean scrub back to Casa Il Bosco, where the adventure in the Casa ‘Il Bosco’ ends. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 15: Return journey

Subject to change!

Accomodation
You will stay in very different, but always typical local accommodation. These range from simple farms or B&Bs to old monasteries and hotels – some even with a pool.
Meals consist of local products and, in typical Italian style, leave nothing to be desired in terms of cuisine.

Saddle & Tack: Comfortable English saddles with sheepskin, Western saddles upon request.

Experience: You should be confident in all gaits and have many years of trail experience, as the terrain is very varied. It is often on wider paths, but there are also narrower trails and a few steeper sections. You will spend up to 7 hours a day at saddle!

Horses: Approx. 15 horses of local breeds crossed with Arabians, very sure-footed, hardy and enduring. The horses live in a herd in the countryside all year round. The horses are saddled daily for you. Rider weight max. 90kg.