Collesano Trip Overview
A horseriding holiday that brings you from Madonie Natural Park, a wonderful park in the province of Palermo, to the majestic Etna Volcano. Riding for about 240 km through the wild and unknown Sicily, you’ll have a great experience! We’ll take you to the heart of the true Sicily, skipping all the touristic places and show you the real soul of the island. During this week ride you’ll have the chance to spend a great time with your beloved four-legged friends, enjoying Sicilian local cuisine, magic landscapes and the uncontaminated nature. It’s an itinerant ride that brings you each night to a different luxury Agriturismo or Hotel, where you can enjoy the best of the local products and have a taste of the Sicilian culture. The highlight it’s the last day of the trip, when we climb the Volcano till the crater of the 2002’s eruption, at about 2500 mt on the sea level. We wait for you to have this great experience together!
Additional Info
Duration: 8 days
Starts: Collesano, Italy
Trip Category: Outdoor Activities >> 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours
Explore Collesano Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Collesano, Sicily, Italy
A horseriding holiday that brings you from Madonie Natural Park, a wonderful park in the province of Palermo, to the majestic Etna Volcano. Riding for about 240 km through the wild and unknown Sicily, you’ll have a great experience! We’ll take you to the heart of the true Sicily, skipping all the touristic places and show you the real soul of the island. During this week ride you’ll have the chance to spend a great time with your beloved four-legged friends, enjoying Sicilian local cuisine, magic landscapes and the uncontaminated nature. It’s an itinerant ride that brings you each night to a different luxury Agriturismo or Hotel, where you can enjoy the best of the local products and have a taste of the Sicilian culture. The highlight it’s the last day of the trip, when we climb the Volcano till the crater of the 2002’s eruption, at about 2500 mt on the sea level. We wait for you to have this great experience together!
Itinerary
Day 1: AIRPORT – AGRITURISMO TERRAVECCHIA (Castellana Sicula)
Pass By: Castellana Sicula, Castellana Sicula, Province of Palermo, Sicily
Transfer organized with a minibus from the airport. Time set according to the guest’s arrival. We suggest to book flights landing not later than 5 p.m.
Transfer requested after 5 p.m. must be paid extra (about 150,00 euros). At the airport customers will find somebody holding a sign with “Sicily on Horseback” written on it.
Once at the Agriturismo, according to times, availability and weather conditions, guests could enjoy a drink by the pool and take a bath.
A rich dinner with local and seasonal products will be served.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso “Agriturismo Terravecchia”, Castellana Sicula
Day 2: AGRITURISMO TERRAVECCHIA (Castellana Sicula) – TURISMO RURALE VILLA RAINO’ (Gangi)
Pass By: Gangi, Gangi, Province of Palermo, Sicily
After breakfast, customers are invited to take part to a short briefing with the guides, with a presentation of the horses and an explanation about how to have a better approach with them. Following the assignement of the horses, we leave to discover the Madonie Mountain.
We ride through woods and fields, crossing some rocky paths, untill we reach an old roman trail that goes up to the ancient village of Petralia Soprana. Then an old “trazzera” (large roads realized under the Spanish domination to facilitate people moving animals during the transumance) brings the riders to the picnic place.
Here we meet the minibus, and after a light lunch and a short siesta we get on the horses again and we ride to the next accommodation. After a couple of hours immersed in the typical High Madonie’s landscapes, our first day ends at an ancient baronal estate, now used as a country hotel.
According to the time and weather conditions, there will be the chance to use the swimmingpool.
A gourmet dinner will follow, savoring the amazing recipes of Aldo and his wife.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso agriturismo “Villa Rainò”, Gangi
Day 3: TURSIMO RURALE VILLA RAINO’ (Gangi) – MASSERIA MONTE SOPRANO (Capizzi)
Pass By: Capizzi, Capizzi, Province of Messina, Sicily
After breakfast we get on the saddle and, leaving behind the expance of cereal fields that characterize the area, we begin our ascent towards Nebrodi Mountains. A large road that runs to the top of high hills and goes through the Natural Reserve “Sambuchetti – Campanito”, guides the group until the picnic place.
After a nice siesta we start the ride down the hills along the side of Monte Soprano, until we reach the homonymous farmhouse. Here according to the time and weather conditions, there’s the chance to use the swimmingpool again.
The accommodation is not only an hotel, but also a big farm wellknown for its good production of meet and cheese. For this reason, during the dinner cooked by the “Mom”, we’ll have the chance to taste local products.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso Agriturismo “Monte Soprano”
Day 4: AGRITURISMO MONTE SOPRANO (Capizzi) – VILLA MIRAGLIA RESORT (Cesarò)
Pass By: Cesaro, Cesaro, Province of Messina, Sicily
Breakfast. Then we ride to Capizzi, an ancient village at the gates of Nebrodi Park. We stop for a short break in the town and then we continue the climb till the road known as “Dorsale dei Nebrodi”, a large trail that winds on the top of the mounts and through majestic forests. This trail will be followed for the next two days.
We will have packed lunch for picnic, because there are no chances for the minibus to reach that area.
Among ancient beechwood, amazing landscapes and breathtaking views on Etna Volcano and AEolian Islands, we get to Villa Miraglia Resort.
This can be considered an island of comfort in the middle of nowhere on top of Nebrodi Mountains.
A gourmet dinner cooked by the chef Gianluca Barbagallo, with his reinterpretation of local cuisine, based on seasonal products.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso “Villa Miraglia Resort”
Day 5: VILLA MIRAGLIA RESORT (Cesarò) – FUCINA DI VULCANO (Maletto)
Pass By: Maletto, Maletto, Province of Catania, Sicily
During this day riders will be completely immersed in the mystical beauty of the park, with its forests and mountains.
Staying at altitude, we go across the second part of the “Dorsale” and we meet four lakes: “Maulazzo”, “Biviere”, “Cartolari” and “Trearie”. Crossing woods there is also the possibility to meet some of the “Sanfratellani”: mighty horses predominantly black that libes in Nebrodi area.
As the previous dau there will be packed lunch, for the same reasons.
During the afternoon we’ll cross some places where one has the feeling of being able to touch the Etna with a finger.
Then we cross the “Masseria dell’Azienda Foreste Demaniali”, then we get to the place where horses will pass the night.
Customers will be moved with a short transfer to the hotel Fucina di Vulcano.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso l’hotel “Fucina di Vulcano”
Day 6: FUCINA DI VULCANO (Maletto) – FUCINA DI VULCANO (Maletto)
Pass By: Maletto, Maletto, Province of Catania, Sicily
After breakfast will drive back to the place where we left the horses.
It’s a shorter day compared to the others, and it’s also a bit faster.
We go down to the valley of Flascio River, and we cross galopping the “Natural Reserve of Gurrida Lake”. Then we start to go up to the slopes of the Volcano through the typical agricultural landscape, until we reach the A area of Etna Park.
Here we stop in the “Natural Reserve of Monte la Nave”, where we have the possibility to leave the horses free in a huge paddock.
After lunch there will be a short transfer with the minibus to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Gourmet dinner with light recipes of the chef Sandro Chiù.
This will be the last dinner together with the guides.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso l’hotel “Fucina di Vulcano”.
Day 7: FUCINA DI VULCANO (Maletto) – HOTEL RAGABO
Pass By: Mount Etna, 95030 Catania, Sicily Italy
This is the last day of the riding trip. As soon as we reach the large track that goes all around Etna, we start the climb.
Here riders have the chance to admire the typical landscape of the volcano, always changing.
Packed lunch for picnic.
Among more or less recent lava flows and coniferous and beech woods, we reach one of the lateral creaters. The climb of the Volcano, and also the trail we take, depend on weather conditions.
Then we come down untill we reach the meeting point for the horse track that will bring them home.
With a short transfer, our guests will reach their last accommodation. Here, during a short break at the bar together with the guides, there will be time to say goodbye before the departure. Then guides will start their trip back home, together with our horses.
Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Pernottamento e cena presso “Rifugio Ragabo”
Day 8: HOTEL RAGABO – AIRPORT
Pass By: 95121 Fontanarossa CT, Italy
Transfer with the minibus to the airport. The time of departure will be set according to the first flight.
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.