AROUND

Etna Mountain offers a lot of breathless sceneries along its 3300 meters of height.
Within twenty minutes by car you’ll find the RIFUGIO SAPIENZA (1900 m.), which is the ski centre of the southern side of the Volcano, and the starting point of the guided excursions which lead up to the summit craters, by lifts system. and jeeps. If you walk ten minutes more, you’ll discover the wonderful and oldest Ragabo Pinery, the widest of Etna, and the PIANO PROVENZANA (1500-1800 m. ), in which rises the northern ski station. For those who love walking, there are thousands of opportunities to make some tours, different for difficulty and lasting, from both sides of the Volcano: you can choose between caves, lava-pathways (contemporary and older), oak, beech and birch forests. In Linguaglossa, within 40 minutes by car, you cannot miss the beautiful GOLF COURSE " Il Picciolo" . It’s very interesting to visit the slopes of the mountain, with its famous vineyards where is produced famous Etna's wines, or its orchards (very famous those of Val Calanna), and the characteristic little villages. Another marvellous place to go to is the " CASTAGNO DEI CENTO CAVALLI ", in the nearby of S: ALFIO , in which originates an huge and millenary chestnut, recently classified as the biggest and oldest of all Europe. For the sea lovers instead, there’s just to choose among the finest sand of the Catania Plaia, just 30 minutes driving, or, in 15 minutes, you can get to the volcanic rocks and the beautiful sea beds of RIVIERA DEI CICLOPI , with ACICASTELLO , the famous ACITREZZA told by Verga in his chief-work " I Malavoglia", or Capomulini, and ACIREALE.
Along the coast, GIARDINI NAXOS with its pebble and gravel beachs . But what is really unforgettable is the natural show offered by the Parco Fluviale dell’ALCANTARA , reachable within just 45 minutes, characterized by its high and slim caves dug by the river through the volcanic rock.

In all the zones of Etna there is a plenty of important churches, very interesting by an architectonical point of view, because of the of lava-stones used inside: for example we suggest the SAN NICOLA church in TRECASTAGNI , which arises from a scenographical stairway and the S. ANTONIO convent ; in RANDAZZO the church of S: MARIA , whose white portals create a suggestive contrast with the black lava-stone. CATANIA (20 min) offers instead many examples of BAROCCO style, as the BISCARI palace, or via CROCIFERI , or CASTELLO URSINO , that is an imposing Norman fortress; you can find other traces of Barocco style in ACIREALE and its historical centre. Who would like to go further cannot miss MODICA , NOTO , SCICLI , RAGUSA and IBLA, (all about min.) which belong to the UNESCO historical and cultural patrimony. For the archaeological sites, you can visit the Romanic theatre of Catania, the Greek theatre of TAORMINA, and just a bit further the Neapolis, the archaeological Museum and the Greek theatre of SIRACUSA (about 1 hour), and the awesome Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina. Another highlight is CALTAGIRONE (40 min), known world wide for the beauty of its ceramics, and for its incredible mix of cultures, that match the Greek, Sicilians, Arabic and Spanish dominations succeed by time, becoming the heart of Sicilian history: it’s worth to see the astonishing 144 majolica stairs which distinguishes this place…and maybe it’s worth to climb them up!

It’s worth, also, to discover the popular tradition and the Sicilian folklore , as the colourful religious feasts (in TRECASTAGNI, for example, every year on May it’s celebrated that one in honour of Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino Saints, who are the patrons of the city) and it would be very interesting to go to the Carnival of Acireale, very funny with its allegorical parades. Catania, then, is a non-stop moving city, culturally fervent, and quite famous because of its musical production, due to the Theatre Massimo V.Bellini, in which every year many of the best lyric operas are performed. What you won’t miss anyway it will be the SICILIAN GASTRONOMY, within all its aromas and flavours, and its good wines: you would have an idea during all the festivals that exalt the typical products of the Etna (as mushrooms, honey and chestnuts), the fresh fish, and the delicious confectionery, which actually shows the Arabic influences it is made of, until the well known wines that have an always greater consents between the experts of the sector.Precisely in Trecastagni, just behind our B&B there are Vini Biondi's  vineyards( http://www.vinibiondi.it ) , which produce a very good red wine, Outis Etna rosso, and many others interesting wines very appreciated by the critics.

These are just a few examples of what Sicily can offer. The owners of I Cedri will be glade to explain to their guests all the details they will need, and to give them some good suggestion about the best routes they should eventually do for their trips and tours around the island.