While unpretentious, the remaining cone is well worth visiting both for its panoramas and the wonderful display of wild orchids it puts on in the late spring.
The Walk
Leave the sleepy village of Mojo (525m) and head north past the petrol station at the start of Via Vanella Mojo. Not far after the cemetery as the road curves right for Malvagna, leave it for a minor road straight ahead (closed to heavy traffic). Climbing a little, it passes a fascinating old quarry, where contrasting deep red and black layers of pyroclastic material underlie the bright green and yellow of broom and ferulas. A little way uphill at a stone hut is the path start, announced by a signpost (30min). At a sharp left a broad, well-constructed path of lava blocks heads west between olive groves and oaks. Check the low walls for pieces of volcanic bombs. An easy steady climb ensues to the grassed rim of the extinct volcano and a fork. Below, survivors of a long-gone orchard straggly grape vines and chestnut trees nestle inside the crater. Turn left for the narrowing path which ascends more steeply on rougher terrain. This slope is thick with insect orchids. On top of Monte Mojo (703m), the wonderful views are dominated by majestic Etna, with the Nebrodi range to the northwest and Peloritani northeast, including Monte Castelluzzo close-by.
It’s worth completing the entire circle of the rim, taking care on the steep descent to the fork, Return to the path start and Mojo the same way you came. Accommodationsee Walk 4 for Francavilla or Walk 41 for Randazzo
WALK 4
Francavilla and the River
| Start/Finish | Municipio at Francavilla |
| Distance | 3km/1.8 miles |
| Grade | 1–2 |
| Time | 2hr |
| Access | Francavilla lies on the SS 185, 18km inland from the Ionian coast. The daily Interbus service from Taormina stops outside the Municipio (town council), as does the weekdays-only direct run to and from Catania. |
When the pioneer Greek colony of Naxos on the Ionian coast was devastated in 403 BC by the tyrant of Siracusa, exiles made their way inland to found less vulnerable settlements such as that on the hilly location of present-day Francavilla in the Alcantara valley. It expanded and flourished over the centuries under noble dynasties, and was defended by a castle in Norman times. Its position is strategic par excellence, occupying a slender triangular ridge surveying the inland and mountain ranges including Etna, while looking down to the Ionian coast at the same time. The Alcantara river below was said to have run red with blood during a fierce battle in 1719 between the Spanish and Austrians for the control of Sicily (won by Spain, the start of a lengthy period of domination). Though the late medieval fortress itself now stands in tattered ruins, the marvellous views are intact.
The name of the town – officially known as Francavilla di Sicilia (to distinguish it from the other seven eponymous settlements in Italy) – is explained in several ways: according to the authorised version it comes from the French, ‘Franc Ville’, as the town was exempt from feudal taxes until 1538. However, the locals seem to prefer the fanciful story that tells of Louis, a Dauphin of France, falling in love with and kidnapping Angelina, a lass from the town. In vain had she encouraged her governess to keep watch, encouraging her with ‘Franca, vigghia!’ the dialect for ‘Franca, keep watch!’
Francavilla’s ruined castle and views to the coast
The walk entails a straightforward if steep climb to the castle lookout, followed by a pleasant stretch through citrus orchards along the renowned river. Most of the route corresponds to the Alcantara Park nature trail ‘le Gurne’ with info boards.
The Walk
From the Municipio at Francavilla (320m) turn southeast along an old basalt-paved road through the old part of town. Many houses still sport elaborately decorated stone balconies and hefty carved portals. Past the Chiesa del Carmine keep straight on Via Ruffo, in ascent. At lovely Villa Luisa Maria, its garden shaded by swaying Canary palm trees, fork left to reach the squat belltower and church in Piazza Matrice.
The lane above the fountain leads past a sign for the 16th-century castle (ruderi castello mediovale), and to a concrete ramp uphill. A path takes over, climbing steadily south past derelict sheds. Overgrown at times, it leads onto open hillsides thick with stunning spring orchids. A ridge is soon gained, where inspiring views range from the Peloritani mountains west, with the highest peak Montagna Grande, and all the way down the Alcantara River valley past the precarious village of Motta Camastra to the Ionian Sea. Moreover close at hand are the castle ruins (50min, 450m), beyond which stands the photogenic town of Castiglione di Sicilia backed by the almost ghostly presence of Etna. It is possible to clamber up a narrow path amongst the crumbling walls on the narrow ridge, but take special care as it is a little exposed and can be slippery.
Return the same way to Piazza Matrice (20min). Turn left down the narrow street lined with tiny stone dwellings to Piazza San Francesco, site of a museum. Continue in the same direction on Via S. Francesco which soon becomes an unsurfaced lane. This passes an archaeological site under plastic roofing where evidence of a 4th-century BC settlement of exiles from Naxos has been discovered. Take the next lane left for the descent towards the river. Through scented orange groves you curve beneath the castle. Soon after a prominent oak tree, turn right on a path lined by a high stone wall. Not far along are stone steps that drop to the peaceful banks of the Alcantara River at an iron footbridge (30min, 300m), property of the Electricity Commission ENEL. This is a good spot for a picnic with the shade of oleander trees, and allows you to admire the smooth black rock flanks, and even a kingfisher or harmless black snake. Note the curious system of irrigation channels that branch off at the nearby cascades; they date back hundreds of years to the Arabic period and, still referred to in local dialect as saja, the original term, they convey precious water to the thirsty citrus orchards. Long stretches are hewn into the volcanic rock face.
Return to the upper lane and turn right (east). A major irrigation channel is soon crossed, followed by a drop beneath a curious overhang of smooth lava overlaying jagged strata. Remnants of an ancient bridge are visible on the opposite riverbank, while close at hand an old mill stands well below the castle. Here fork left as per the nature trail, in gentle ascent along the flanks of the hill, thick with orchids in springtime. A picnic area is a good spot to enjoy the lovely views, before you enter the town again and shortly reach Piazza Matrice. Walk back along Via Ruffo to the Municipio of Francavilla. Accommodation Hotel L’Orange Tel 0942-981374 B&B Quattareddu Tel 0942-982693 or 333-2972877
The Alcantara River below Francavilla
MONTE ETNA
‘When I look at her, low, white, witch-like under heaven, slowly rolling her orange smoke and giving sometimes a breath of rose-red flame, then I must look away from earth, into the ether, into the low empyrean. And there, in that remote region, Etna is alone.’
D.H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia
The fire-breathing giant and its devastating eruptions have left deep inspirational impressions on Mediterranean cultures all through the ages. Early conjecture by the Greeks explained its activity as banished giants working underworld forges, along with the grisly monster Typhon, imprisoned there by Zeus, who made the earth tremble with his twisting and turning. The fitting name of ‘Etna’ derives from a Greek word meaning ‘to burn’, though the Arabs preferred to refer to it as Jebel Utlamat, ‘mountain par excellence’, whence derives its modern-day Latinised alias, Mongibello. However