Volcanic Fun!
Yep, exactly what we were thinking. Time for a break.
So we rented a car from a place right on the island, making driving here not subject to the daily restrictions and blasted-off towards ETNA, figuring a hotel at 6000 feet would let us sleep with the windows open and enjoy riding around, even if the choice is UP (really up!) or DOWN (really down!) The Giro d'Italia finished here and we'd been here another time or two, but never with bicycles and since we brought e-bikes, the "really up!" should be OK. We were already prepared for the "really down!"
We reserved a room at Corsaro Hotel, just a bit away from the tourist chaos (we weren't the only ones trying to get out of the heat) a place VERY bike-friendly as you can see where they let you park your bike! They say this was Michele Scarponi's choice of lodging when he came up here to train, the desk man claiming Scarponi had called to reserve a room just one day before he was tragically killed. Close enough to the craters we could hear the rumbling and one night see the glow of hot lava shooting in the sky. And they have the BEST breakfast ever!
Gravel bikes were OK on the road of course (with slicks) and OK for unpaved roads and even some covered in volcanic ash/sand, as long as it wasn't too deep. Zio Lorenzo had new respect for those 'cross riders racing across sandy beaches, somehow with just 33 mm tires vs the 38's we were sporting!
Trail maps are everywhere but the trails weren't crowded and everyone we encountered was friendly. No anti-bike sentiment here! The roads going up and down are marked with warning signs that cyclists are using these roads for training, though we were just having fun.
We DID play around some the paved roads a bit, riding up (and down) to Rifugio Sapienza from down below at another hotel before it was time to pack up and call Zio Lorenzo's 70th birthday week complete. But not before a stop at our favorite wine maker - PUGLISI to restock for the rest of the summer. We HAD a car after all!
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