Etna Nord - Piano Provenzana

Piano Provenzana is the ski area on the north side of Mount Etna (Linguaglossa, Catania), between about 1,810 and 2,336 m, with the Pouchoz chairlift, three drag lifts (Monte Conca, Coccinelle, and Anfiteatro), and a magic carpet for beginners. It’s the main ski area in Sicily, on the highest active volcano in Europe. The landscape still shows the scars of the 2002 eruption, which wiped out the whole resort, hotel included: you ride down between old lava flows.

Why Go Snowboarding

There’s no snowpark and the area is small: you come here to ride an active volcano, with views of the craters and the sea. The runs get good sun and the resort is often above the clouds, so you may drive up through gray weather and find sunshine at the top. Keep in mind that three of the four lifts are drag lifts, which take some practice on a snowboard. The terrain is intermediate: nothing really steep, but enough pitch to link turns with some rhythm.

Terrain & Slopes

There are about 10 km of runs: 15% easy, 85% intermediate, none difficult. The Pouchoz chairlift climbs from the base to almost 2,000 m and serves a blue run, with the beginners’ magic carpet beside it. The three drag lifts serve red runs: Monte Conca climbs to about 2,090 m and serves the run of the same name, about 1.6 km long; Coccinelle reaches about 2,323 m and serves the most technical run, about 1.4 km; Anfiteatro reaches the highest point, about 2,336 m, with two reds of about 1.3 km.

Tips

The season depends on the snow and on the volcano’s activity, and it can start late. The resort has no official website with a snow report: updates come through the official Facebook page and the local press, so check that the lifts are open before you go. When there’s snow, people come from all over Sicily: if you can, pick a weekday or set off early. Up at the resort there are small chalets and restaurants, a ski and snowboard school, and a few rental shops; there are very few beds up there, but there are several places to stay along the Mareneve road.

Getting There

From Linguaglossa, drive up the Mareneve road to Piano Provenzana. With snow, chains or winter tires are required on the road and inside Etna Park; on peak weekends the town runs traffic plans and shuttles. By train, the Circumetnea railway has a station at Linguaglossa (some sections may run as replacement buses: check the FCE website). From Linguaglossa, outside the peak-weekend shuttles, the last stretch is by car.