Europe Italy Sicilian Sights - Mt. Etna Volcano and Messina By Linda Garrison Linda Garrison Linda Paull Garrison is a travel writer who has taken over 150 cruises and spent over 1,100 days at sea. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 06/10/19 Cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean often stopover in Messina, Sicily in order for passengers to visit the Mt. Etna volcano or the charming Sicilian village of Taormina. The drive from Messina to Mt. Etna is about an hour, and the bus drives along the coast, passing by many lemon trees, before starting the long, winding climb to the visitors' center on Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is high enough to have skiing in the winter, and the lava flows and volcanic sites are quite interesting. The visitors' center also has a hotel, a couple of restaurants, and a few souvenir shops. In addition to visiting Mt. Etna, many cruise ship passengers manage to fit in time for one of Messina's famous canolis, which are excellent. 01 of 19 The Italian Island of Sicily Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 2 of 19 below. 02 of 19 Messina, Italy on the Island of Sicily Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 3 of 19 below. 03 of 19 Messina, Italy Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 4 of 19 below. 04 of 19 Messina, Sicily Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 5 of 19 below. 05 of 19 Messina, Italy Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 6 of 19 below. 06 of 19 Harbor in Messina, Italy on the Island of Sicily Sicily and Mt. Etna Photo (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 7 of 19 below. 07 of 19 Harbor at Messina, Italy Sicily and Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 8 of 19 below. 08 of 19 Highway Along the Strait of Messina Sicily and Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 9 of 19 below. 09 of 19 Mt. Etna on the Island of Sicily Sicily and Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Mt. Etna towers over the island of Sicily and can be easily seen from cruise ships sailing through the Strait of Messina separating Sicily from Italy. Continue to 10 of 19 below. 10 of 19 Snow on Mt. Etna in May Sicily and Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 11 of 19 below. 11 of 19 Hiking the Lava Fields on Mt. Etna in Sicily Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 12 of 19 below. 12 of 19 Lava Fields on Mt. Etna on the Island of Sicily Mt. Etna Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 13 of 19 below. 13 of 19 Mt. Etna Souvenir Shop Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Souvenir seekers need not worry--there are plenty of places to buy volcano souvenirs on Mt. Etna. Continue to 14 of 19 below. 14 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcano Lava Flow Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 15 of 19 below. 15 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcano - Ski Lift and Snowy Mountaintop Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison We were surprised to see the snow on Mt. Etna when we visited in mid-May. The volcano is also popular for skiing in the winter, and you can see the ski lifts. Continue to 16 of 19 below. 16 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcano Ash Cone Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 17 of 19 below. 17 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcano Lava Flow Stops at Restaurant Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Mt. Etna continues to be an active volcano, and this lava flow mysteriously stopped before covering this restaurant/bar on Mt. Etna. Continue to 18 of 19 below. 18 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcano on the Island of Sicily Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Continue to 19 of 19 below. 19 of 19 Mt. Etna Volcanic Crater on the Island of Sicily off the Coast of Italy Mt. Etna Volcano Picture (c) Linda Garrison Many visitors to Mt. Etna spend their time hiking on the ash cones and volcanic lava fields. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email