“Once the sporting activity is allowed, it can be carried out individually, thereby including all non-competitive activities, also those at sea. They must always guarantee interpersonal distancing, observance of precautionary hygiene measures and subsequent sanitization of the tools. To carry out these activities it is also allowed to move from one municipality to another. The journey to reach the place where to carry out this activity is guaranteed either by public or private transport. “
This decree officially released black on white at the beginning of May, gives the possibility of making excursions on Mount Etna again. After the long phase of isolation and quarantine that has kept people away from the streets and meeting places, today you can go back to doing the activities you love most. Without forgetting the safety measures, of course. They are still fundamental for the protection of health.
Etna at Covid time
You can go hiking on Mt. Etna as long as you keep your social distance. This means that it would be better to go to the mountain by car, alone, and avoid organizing group expeditions. However, the mountain law requires that there always must be at least two people. In case of accidents or problems, in fact, one person must always be able to call for help. So it is possible to bring a passenger in the car, but in that case he/she will have to sit in the back seat. Both passenger and driver must wear a mask.
Hiking however involves walking at a certain distance from each other. The mountain territory imposes it and so do the different step and the different resistance of each hiker. In theory it is possible to go along the paths in more than one person, provided that they keep at least 2 meters away from each other and walk wearing masks. Obviously you must avoid going up to the meeting point by pressing in a few machines: better to go each with your own vehicle.
Always keep well informed
The laws that are constantly enacted by the government are then transposed and readapted at the local level. For example, in northern Italy some regions allow climbing others do not. Some impose a mask along the paths and others do not. Even mayors of the mountain municipalities can change the laws in place, according to local needs.
So it is good to always keep well informed about the situation. As regards Etna, the reference site is that of the Region Sicily (http://pti.regione.sicilia.it/portal/page/portal/PIR_PORTALE). But also tour operators who work in the field of hiking keep up to date and provide useful information to their customers. Go Etna has a dedicated page to inform the public about changes regarding the authorizations for excursions on the volcano.
Etna and tourism
As soon as it is allowed, the paths, caves and peaks of Mt. Etna will become a free route for anyone who loves walking in the mountains. For the moment, access is allowed only to Sicilians, preferably resident in the province of Catania. But soon it could open up to national tourism, as mass checks and Covid tracings are ready.
Certainly foreign tourism will have to wait before being able to visit Etna and its wonders again. In the meantime, however, the Parco dell’Etna Authority and the municipalities of the volcano are working hard. They improved the state of the road surface, the cleaning of the paths and above all the updating of the electronic signs. They warn tourists about the state of quiet or activity of the volcano. When it will reopen to world tourism, Etna will be ready to make everyone feel at ease. (photos by Grazia Musumeci)