Autumn Stars on Etna

December 11/12, 2021
Autumn on Etna is the season when nature bursts into a thousand shades; the woods transform into a myriad of different hues, with leaves painted in colors ranging from yellow to red. Etna dons a soft, muted cloak of yellowed leaves and the orange tones of diverse plants like birch, downy oak, beech, and chestnut, offering a truly spectacular sight.
Our Saturday evening will be enriched by stargazing accompanied by an expert, Angelo Rinollo, a physicist and science teacher with a passion for astronomy and science communication. He will lead a telescope observation session under the clear Etna sky. Participants will be able to admire the December starry vault, where it will still be possible to observe the two wonderful gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, the most spectacular planets in the solar system. The first-quarter Moon will offer us a view of its craters. We will cast our gaze far into the distance, toward the Andromeda Galaxy, the most remote object visible to the naked eye. We will then take a tour of the autumn constellations: Pisces, Aries, and Taurus with the Pleiades star cluster. Then, the summer constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, and Aquila, now low on the horizon, and the winter ones beginning to appear: Orion, the mythical hunter in whose belt lies the spectacular M42 nebula, Gemini, and Canis Major with Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. All this will be accompanied by evocative anecdotes about the mythological figures from which the constellations take their names. We have several options for where to walk over these two days; one will be on the North side, visiting Grotta dei Lamponi and Rifugio Timparossa. On Sunday, we will explore the East side: Monte Rinatu, Valle del Bove, and the Cave trail.

Fee: € 40,00 - Includes guide services, accident insurance, and excursion organization. For insurance purposes, we kindly ask you to send us your: full name and tax code (codice fiscale).
Other expenses: € 55,00 - Includes: overnight stay in a rural house (accommodation in double and triple rooms), Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, and Sunday packed lunch.
Expenses do not include: fuel costs for travel and Saturday's packed lunch.
Deposit: € 40,00 at the time of booking.
Max number of participants: 16
Meeting point: Saturday, December 11 at 09:00 AM at Piano Provenzana, first parking lot on the right (Etna). Click the link below for the Google location.
https://goo.gl/maps/ScnMFSy5jKfpvJxPA
End of excursion: Sunday, December 12, 4:30 PM in Milo.
Travel: own car.
Difficulty: challenging
Required equipment: hiking clothing, hiking boots, winter jacket, fleece, wool hat, gloves, flashlight, 1.5 liters of water, a spare t-shirt, and personal toiletries.
Notes: the excursion will be conducted in accordance with current Covid-19 regulations. A few days before the excursion, we will send you an email with the latest information.
The excursion may be subject to changes due to unpredictable natural events; in such cases, the guide will make the final decision.
Guide: Salvatore Marletta: contact 3334987946 - Email: [email protected]
www.ciaotrekking.com