Day 1

Arrive at Palermo airport and get transferred to Casa "Il Bosco", a charming restored nineteenth century country house, immersed in the wild countryside of the Madonie Park, with breathtaking views of the island's north coast and the Aeolian Islands. You will enjoy a dinner prepared with local produce and spend the night here.

Day 2

After breakfast we will assign your horse and set off from Casa "Il Bosco" at around 8.30. We will begin the day riding through dense mediterranean vegetation with beautiful views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. We will pass close to the town of Castelbuono and stop for a picnic lunch by an old water mill. In the afternoon we will ride up through a beautiful cork oak forest to reach the enchanting town of Geraci Siculo, a majestic medieval village dominated by its castle ruins, once the seat of the Ventimiglia Barons, one of the most important feudal families on the island from the eleventh century onwards. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Donna Vi, equipped with a spa.

Day 3

After breakfast you will set off at around 9.00 in the morning. You will ride along a very panoramic ancient pathway (a "trazzera") which passes the boundary between the three provinces of Palermo, Enna and Messina, reaching an altitude of about 1200m, before passing below the great turbines of a wind farm. You will then descend into the forests of the Sambughetti-Campanito reserve, where you will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, you will continue on to the territory of Nicosia, followed by Cerami, before arriving at the agriturismo Monte Soprano, a working farm with a swimming pool set on the slopes of the Nebrodi Mountains, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 4

In the morning we will ride through the characteristic village of Capizzi, where we will stop for a short break. We will then enter the Nebrodi Natural Park through beech woods in the territory of San Fratello, famous for its sanfratellani horses, a native breed which is very strong and hardy, with a very large head, and which you may catch a glimpse of grazing in the wild. We will ride through the heart of the Nebrodi Natural Park, along the famous "Dorsale" (the Nebrodi Ridge), a long dirt track (about 100 km long) which passes through forests and high mountain pastures. This is a place full of charm, with extraordinary views: the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Aeolian Islands to the north, and the island's hinterland to the south – Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Siracusa, Catania, and Etna towering above everything else. We will stop for a picnic lunch in a shaded spot beneath centuries-old trees. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Relais Villa Miraglia, where we will have a delicious dinner made with local Nebrodi products and spend the night.

Day 5

In the morning, we will continue along the famous "Dorsale" pathway through mountains, woods and lakes, in the midst of a strikingly beautiful landscape. First we will come to the Maulazzo Lake, dominated by Monte Soro, the highest peak in the Nebrodi mountain range (at 1847 metres) and covered in magnificent beech woods. We will then reach the famous lake Biviere di Cesarò, which is a resting place for migrating birds, before beginning our descent from the Nebrodi Mountains along panoramic pathways with views to Mount Etna. In the afternoon, we will ride through open countryside to reach La Fucina di Vulcano, a quality hotel with a swimming pool and magnificent views of Etna's western side, where we will have dinner and spend the night

Day 6

After breakfast, we will leave La Fucina di Vulcano at around 8.30 in the morning, and climb up Etna's western slopes, to the Pista Altomontana, riding through forests of beech and conifer trees. We will cross fascinating lava flows and, when visibility is good, enjoy breathtaking views of the Nebrodi Mountains and towards the island's east coast. We will stop for a packed lunch at a characteristic refuge hidden amongst Etna's beautiful woods, before riding on through otherworldly landscapes. We will have dinner and spend the night at Chalet Clan de Ragazzi immersed in a majestic forest of larix pines.

Day 7

We will set off around 8.30 and depending on the season and the conditions, we will climb higher up the volcano through beautiful forests of pine and beech, to reach the site of Etna's last great lateral eruption in October 2002. We will ride along the 2002 lateral craters, following a series of pathways through a lunar landscape, before riding on through forests of birch, beech and larix pines to reach the impressive Sartorius craters, created during a major lateral eruption in 1865. After a picnic lunch, we will begin our descent on Etna's north-eastern side through enchanting and peaceful forests, to reach our final accommodation, Feudo Magazzeni, a beautiful historic property, recently restored and set amidst hazelnut groves, in the territory of Sant'Alfio. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8

Departure

After breakfast you will be transferred to Catania airport.