Mirena Hristova

The golden side of Etna, the taste of roses, and a jar of Vitosha in Sicily 🍂🌋

L'altro volto dell'Etna: tra oro, grotte di lava e sapori condivisi. 🇮🇹

My second trek with Fabrizio took me to the fairytale Northern side of Etna. A completely different face of the volcano—bathed in golden yellow and green contrasting against the black lava.

This time I joined a great teambuilding group. Our trail took us into the ancient lava cave Grotta dei Ladroni (once used as a natural ice house to store compacted snow), through forests of endemic white birches with golden leaves (Betula aetnensis), and along the button-like row of seven extinct craters of Monti Sartorius, formed during the 1865 eruption.

However, the best part of the mountain is always the sharing. At lunch in the mountain hut, I treated everyone to Bulgarian rose Turkish delight (which they loved!), and for Fabrizio, I brought something very personal—homemade jam made from wild blueberries and raspberries I picked myself on Vitosha Mountain. A small gift from my mountain to his. 🫐
The whole day was filled with those priceless conversations along the way—about Bulgaria and Sicily, the local spirit, and his favorite spots on the volcano. Thanks to his suggestion and local tip, my day ended in Zafferana, right in the middle of their famous autumn festival (Ottobrata).
Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, music, aromas, delicious food at Donna Peppina's (thanks for the tip, Fabrizio!), and a new pair of earrings from a local artist as a keepsake. To give you an idea of the scale of this festival, my driver was delayed stuck in massive traffic trying to get into town—which gave me extra time to wander around and completely blend in with the locals.

A day overflowing with colors, human warmth, and the feeling of being in the exact right place. 🖤

Grazie mille, again @fabrizio_zuccarello!

#etna #vulcano #siciliainvetrina #hikinglovers #treking