Mount Etna

Silvestri Craters, near Rifugio Sapienza Etna keeps its summit craters for guided groups, but you can drive to about 1,900 meters on the south side and walk the rims of the Silvestri Craters on your own. These extinct cones formed in an 1892 eruption, and from their edges you look down into the bowls and up the dark slopes toward the active summit. It is a short, easy outing, and the right choice if you want Etna underfoot without booking a tour. Going higher is a different trip: the active summit craters are open only with an authorized guide, and the town councils' ordinances change the limits on the upper slopes with the volcano's activity, so check the current rules before you set out.