Shalai, hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Linguaglossa
Why we like it: 19th-century palace in the centre of Linguaglossa with 13 rooms, a private spa and chef Giovanni Santoro's Michelin-starred restaurant.
Duration2 nights
From CataniaAbout 50 min by car
Maximum altitudeMore than 3,300 m if the summit is open
Best timeApril – June · September – October
BookingGuides, winery and meals
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Thursday to Saturday, so that Cave Ox is open on the last day and you do not fall on a Monday, when Veneziano is closed. A car is needed.
Thursday
- 110:00Leave Catania
Via Nicolosi to the esplanade of the Rifugio Sapienza. Leave the car and your bag there.
- 211:00Crateri Silvestri
The two cones from 1892, beside the road, can be walked round in about 45 minutes. Free.
- 313:00Cable car and Tour 3000
A quick lunch on the esplanade and then the cable car to 2,500 m and the guided off-road vehicle to near 3,000 m. €82 all-in; the last Tour 3000 leaves at 15:15.
- 419:00Night at the Rifugio Sapienza
Dinner at the Rifugio's own restaurant and watch the esplanade empty.
Friday
- 108:30Summit craters with a guide
Departure from the Baita delle Guide, a few steps from the hotel. About five or six hours and €130, with cable car, off-road vehicle and equipment. If the summit is closed, the guides switch you to the Etna 3000 excursion.
- 216:00To Linguaglossa
Cross to the north slope and check in at Shalai. Book the spa for the evening: sauna, Turkish bath and saltwater hydromassage.
- 320:30Dinner at Shalai
The restaurant of chef Giovanni Santoro, with a Michelin star. Book a table when you book the room.
Saturday
- 110:00Tasting at a north-slope winery
Planeta Sciaranuova or Cottanera, among vineyards on lava flows. Always by reservation.
- 213:00Lunch at Cave Ox
At Solicchiata: fusilloni with Bronte pistachio, Etna-style bistecca by weight or wood-fired pizza.
- 315:30Back to Catania
About 55 minutes via Linguaglossa and the motorway.
On a day trip from Catania, Etna is a cable car and back. With two nights it changes: you sleep at 1,910 m, beside the cable car station, and in the morning you are in the queue before the cars arrive; you spend a whole day with the guides heading for the summit craters, and go down to sleep on the north slope, among vineyards, to finish with a tasting and a long lunch.
How do you get there from Catania?
Fly to Catania from Spain, with direct flights from several cities, and hire a car from the airport. The Rifugio Sapienza is about 50 minutes away via Nicolosi. You need the car to cross from the south slope to the north on the second day; without it, you can only reach the Rifugio on the 8:15 AST bus.
Where to stay
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Rifugio Sapienza | South slope, 1,910 m | Those who want the first cable car and the guides at the door |
| Shalai | Linguaglossa, north-east slope | Those who want a spa and a Michelin-starred dinner |
| Case Perrotta | Sant'Alfio, east slope | Those who prefer an organic farm stay with a restaurant at the weekend |
Where to eat
On the south slope, the restaurant, pizzeria and bar at the Rifugio Sapienza, on the same esplanade. On the north, Cave Ox for Etna cooking and wine, Ristorante Veneziano, in Randazzo, for mushrooms and Nebrodi black pork, and the restaurant at Shalai for the special dinner. If you do the getaway at a weekend, Case Perrotta, in Sant'Alfio, serves lunch on Saturday and Sunday with produce from its farm.
What if I have one more day?
Go round the volcano on the Circumetnea train, Monday to Saturday, or go into the caldera with the Valle del Bove trek, six hours with a guide from the Rifugio Sapienza.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Etna, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Etna
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Fly to Catania and hire a car to the volcano
Catania is the gateway to Etna: there are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Seville, and the airport is at the foot of the volcano. From there, the Rifugio Sapienza and the south-slope cable car are about 45 minutes by car, and Linguaglossa, on the north slope, about 40 minutes from Catania on the motorway towards Messina.
- Getting thereCatania Fontanarossa (CTA), south of…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to sleepRifugio Sapienza, at 1,910 m…
- ServicesAST bus from Catania to…
Getting there
- Catania Fontanarossa (CTA), south of the city, the airport closest to Etna
- AST bus from Catania to the Rifugio Sapienza: leaves at 8:15 from Piazza Giovanni XXIII and returns around 16:30
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport: it is the way to combine the south slope, the north and the wineries on one trip
- Circumetnea train around the volcano, Monday to Saturday, for Randazzo and the northern villages without driving
Where to sleep
- Rifugio Sapienza, at 1,910 m, to start the day at the cable car
- Shalai, in Linguaglossa, for the north slope and the wineries
- Case Perrotta, in Sant'Alfio, about 40 km from the airport
Services
- AST bus from Catania to the Rifugio Sapienza, with tickets at the ticket office or on board
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Rifugio Sapienza, hotel at 1,910 metres beside the Etna cable car
Why we like it: Mountain hotel with 20 rooms at 1,910 m on the south slope, on the esplanade of the cable car and the guides: sleeping here means being up there before anyone else.
Case Perrotta, organic farm stay in Sant'Alfio, on Etna's east slope
Why we like it: Organic farm stay at about 800 m in Sant'Alfio, in a former convent and its 19th-century winery, with ten rooms and a restaurant serving Etna cooking.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Etna
Cave Ox, restaurant, pizzeria and wine cellar in Solicchiata
What to order: the fusilloni with Bronte pistachio, the Etna bistecca by weight or a pizza from the wood-fired oven, with an Etna red from its cellar.
Ristorante Veneziano, mushroom and black pork cooking in Randazzo
What to order: the Delizie dello Chef, twelve small starters for €22, and then the mushroom soup or the tagliolini alla boscaiola.
Case Perrotta restaurant, Etna farm-stay cooking in Sant'Alfio
What to order: the house delights with fried items, the maccheroni al ragù with aubergine and baked ricotta, and the grill served on a roof tile.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Keep the summit day in the middle
If they close it because of wind or activity, you still have Thursday or Saturday morning for the Tour 3000.
- 2Bring warm clothes
At 3,000 m it is cold and windy all year.
- 3Book what fills up
The guides, the winery, dinner at Shalai and lunch at Cave Ox.
We'd skip it
Going up to the craters on your own: access above a certain altitude is restricted to authorised guides and is dangerous.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a car?
Yes, to go from the south slope to the north. Without a car you can only reach the Rifugio Sapienza by bus from Catania.
Is the summit open?
It depends on the day. In November 2026 the guides warn that the summit craters are closed and switch to the Etna 3000 excursion.
Where should you stay?
One night at the Rifugio Sapienza, beside the cable car, and another at Shalai, in Linguaglossa; if you prefer the countryside, Case Perrotta in Sant'Alfio.
Which days work best?
Thursday to Saturday: Cave Ox is closed on Monday and Tuesday, and Veneziano on Mondays.