# Funivia dell'Etna

Activity company en Nicolosi

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/companies/funivia-dell-etna

## A cable car that the volcano has destroyed several times

The Funivia dell'Etna is Etna's only cable car. It climbs the south slope from about 1,920 m to 2,500 m, and from the top organises guided ascents to near 3,000 m. The company that runs it is Russo Morosoli Invest, of Catania.

Its history is told by the company itself. The idea came from a Turin engineer, Count Dino Lora Totino, in the late sixties. The business struggled and the count entrusted the management to Gioacchino Russo Morosoli, who ended up buying the whole company. An eruption destroyed the installation in 1971, and according to the website the volcano has wiped it out several more times. In 2001 another lava flow took it away; he rebuilt it with a loan for 2002 and a new flow destroyed it a week before the opening, so he took out another loan and built it up again. Gioacchino died in 2013 in a traffic accident and since then the group has been run by his son Francesco, together with his sister Fausta.

## What it offers

As well as the cable car to 2,500 m, the company offers the Tour 3000, which adds the ascent by off-road bus or, with snow, by snow groomer and an alpine or volcanological guide to almost 3,000 m, and outings such as the visit to the Silvestri craters or the sunset experience. It runs all year, in summer and in winter. The prices of what we list are in the offers on this page.

## Starting point, hours and guides

The departure station is at Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza, in Nicolosi, on the south side. The service runs daily, with ascents from 8:30 to 15:15 and the last descent at 17:15, provided the weather and technical conditions allow. The guides speak Italian, English and French. If you buy online you enter by the fast lane, without queuing at the ticket office.

## Clothing and health

It is cold and windy at the top even in summer. They recommend mountain footwear and a windbreaker; at the 2,500 m station you can hire a jacket, boots and poles. They do not advise the ascent for those with heart or breathing problems or high blood pressure, nor for pregnant women. Dogs may go up on a lead and muzzled; large suitcases and drones are not allowed.

## Children, tickets and refunds

On the cable car, children up to 4 years travel free with a paying adult, and those from 5 to 10 pay a reduced fare. The conditions set no minimum age for the Tour 3000.

The ticket is personal and valid for the day indicated. Read the conditions carefully: there is no refund if the service is suspended because of bad weather, if a volcanic alert from the INGV or Civil Protection limits the ascent to 2,500 m, or if you do not use the ticket that day. Nor is there a right to a refund if they change the vehicle for operational reasons. That is why it pays to check the forecast and the website's webcam before buying.

## What they run

- [Etna cable car and 4x4 ride up to 3,000 metres](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/etna-cable-car-3000-tour), in Etna. Tour 3000: cable car, 4x4 and guide. Desde 82 € per person. 2 h 30. All year. Cable car with fast access, return off-road vehicle or snow groomer and an alpine or volcanological guide. They hire boots and windbreakers at the 2,500 m station. Return cable car to 2,500 m. Desde 54 € per person. All year

Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.

## Contact

- Web: https://www.funiviaetna.com/
- Coordenadas: 37.699, 15