Instead of going up Mt. Etna, you can circle it on the Circumetnea railroad, which runs near the volcano's base. The private railway almost circles the volcano, running 114 km (71 mi) between Catania and Riposto -- the towns are 30 km (19 mi) apart by the coast road. The line is small, slow, and only single-track, but has some dramatic vistas of the volcano and goes through lava fields. The round-trip takes about five hours, there are about 10 departures a day.
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