An old stone mule path zigzagging down a lava cliff, from the baroque town of Acireale to a tiny fishing harbour, where the reward is a plate of fried fish by the sea. Forty-five minutes down; the bus or your legs bring you back.
Acireale sits on top of the Timpa, a long cliff of layered lava formed by a fault along Etna's eastern edge. Below it, a strip of lemon groves and fishing villages lines the sea.
The Chiazzette is the old path that linked them: a cobbled mule track built in the 17th century, its many hairpins broken by small paved landings, the "little squares" that give it its name. It runs from the belvedere at the edge of town, past an old defensive bastion and prickly pears, through the La Timpa nature reserve, down about 150 metres to Santa Maria la Scala.
The hamlet is a single row of houses, a church and a little harbour full of painted boats, with several trattorias serving fish straight off them. Bus back up, or walk.
One path, impossible to lose. The cobbles can be slippery when wet.
Start at the belvedere on the edge of Acireale, looking down the Timpa to the sea and along the coast towards Catania.
The cobbled path winds down the cliff through prickly pears and Mediterranean scrub, with landings at each bend and the sea always below.
Arrive in the hamlet among fishing boats and trattorias. Eat, swim off the rocks in summer, then climb back up or take the bus.
Acireale is about 25 minutes from Catania by bus or train. From the station or bus stop, walk to the centre and on to the belvedere above Santa Maria la Scala.
A local bus links Santa Maria la Scala with Acireale's centre; the climb back up takes about an hour.
Before you go down, see the baroque cathedral square and, in season, the famous Carnival floats.
Food in the guide →
Pine woods round the cones of 1669.
Wading a basalt gorge, and pools in a canyon.
The best free viewpoint over the Valle del Bove.
Lifts, a 4x4 and a guided walk to the top.
The 2002 eruption cones and a birch-wood loop.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their Creative Commons licences.
