Ferrovia Circumetnea: Life on Sicily’s Etna Railway and Its Future

The Ferrovia Circumetnea, Sicily's only narrow-gauge railway, snakes around Mount Etna, offering stunning views of the 3,400-meter-high active volcano. This 110-kilometer line, operated by a regional public transport company, connects Catania to Riposto, though a direct connection is no longer available, requiring passengers to change trains in Randazzo.

A Day in the Life of a Train Driver

Rossana Bulgari, a train driver with over 20 years of experience, including eight on the Ferrovia Circumetnea, begins her day at 5 a.m. in Catania. Her shift starts at the Catania Borgo station, where the daily duty roster is still handwritten. The depot, with its eclectic mix of trains from different eras, feels like a museum. While modern Vulcano trains from Poland joined the fleet in 2016 and Swiss-built hydrogen-powered trains are expected, Rossana often drives older Fiat locomotives, some 30 to 50 years old.

On one particular April morning, Rossana is assigned a 1970s Fiat FCE Ade. Despite an initial problem with the engine not idling properly, she manages to get the train running, departing Catania at 7:25 a.m., only five minutes behind schedule. The name "Ferrovia Circumetnea" literally means "railway circling Etna," and the line has been winding its way around the volcano since 1898. Rossana typically covers the Catania to Randazzo section and back, with a colleague taking passengers on to Riposto.

The journey offers a unique experience, transitioning from summer temperatures in Catania to winter-like conditions in the mountains. The volcano is an ever-present feature of the landscape, deeply ingrained in the local culture, often referred to as "Mamma Etna" despite its masculine grammatical gender in Italian.

Living with an Active Volcano

Mount Etna, though appearing gentle, is a constantly active volcano. It breathes beneath its snow-covered surface and occasionally erupts, sending ash, red-hot rock, and gases up to 10 kilometers into the sky. Simona Scollo, a physicist and volcanologist, and Boris Behncke from the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Catania have been studying Etna for over two decades.

Simona, who specializes in explosive eruptions and volcanic ash, notes that while Etna is often described as non-explosive, it has shown increasingly explosive activity over the past 30 to 40 years. Pyroclastic flows, extremely hot discharges of gas, ash, and rock fragments, are among the most dangerous volcanic phenomena. These fiery avalanches, reaching temperatures of 300 to 800 degrees Celsius, pose a significant threat to communities on the volcano's flanks, as seen in June 2025. Scientists like Simona measure the deposits left by these flows to estimate the material released, aiding in the protection of local residents. Simona considers herself fortunate to live and work near such an active and fascinating volcano, constantly observing new phenomena.

The Changing Landscape of the Railway

The journey continues around Etna. In Misterbianco, about half an hour from Catania, level crossings are still secured by hand. High school students are the primary passengers at 8 a.m. Boris returns to the institute by car, while Simona takes the narrow gauge in the opposite direction to Adrano to work from home.

Delays are common on the Mount Etna line, but Simona is lucky on this day. However, the Catania-Paterno section of the Ferrovia Circumetnea was nearing its end. A few months after this journey, in June 2024, the service was scrapped, with the Catania metro slated to take over the route. The public was not yet aware of this planned closure, which was communicated to staff with a 60-day transition period.

The narrow gauge, just 950 millimeters wide, allows for tighter curves as the train continues around the western side of Etna towards Randazzo. Of the 34 stops from Catania to Riposto, many were once vital for local residents who relied on the railway for transport. In Adrano, Rossana calls in her train number to the control center, which tracks every train amidst potential delays.

Life on Etna's Slopes

The route ascends through solidified lava fields to Bronte, 760 meters above sea level. Sections of track on Etna's western side often require clearing or even relaying due to lava flows. The landscape around Bronte is shaped by these ancient flows, where pistachio trees thrive at elevations up to 900 meters. These trees, introduced by Arab settlers in the ninth century, can live for 300 years.

Marco Meli, a farmer in Bronte, inherited his pistachio groves and switched to organic farming eight years ago. Despite initial skepticism from family and friends due to decreased yields, Marco persevered. He observed increased biodiversity and, after six years, yields recovered to pre-transition levels, sometimes even exceeding them. Pistachios are challenging to farm, bearing fruit only every other year and being sensitive to drought and climate change. Bronte is renowned for its high-quality "Femminella" and "Minnulara" pistachios, used in various culinary products.

Rossana arrives in Bronte an hour and a half later. The town of 18,000, on Etna's western slope, has suffered from volcanic activity, notably in 1651. Bronte is a lively place, but like many rural areas in Italy, it faces an aging population and youth migration.

Higher up the volcano, a special birch species, Betula Aetnensis, endemic to Mount Etna, grows on the northern, northeastern, and eastern slopes at around 1,800 meters above sea level. This "Lady of the Woods," a relic of the last Ice Age, is now declining due to fungal disease and climate change.

In Maletto, the highest station on the line at 922 meters, level crossings are still secured by hand. It's a popular starting point for hikers. From here, the train descends towards Randazzo, with the Nebrodi mountains to the northwest. The Nebrodi National Park, covering almost 89,000 hectares, is the largest protected conservation area in the region. The Simeto River valley, Sicily's most important river, provides a habitat for various insect and bird species, including bee-eaters.

Nino Valente, a 55-year-old farmer and cheesemaker, has lived his entire life by Mount Etna. He describes the volcano's eruptions as beautiful spectacles, especially at night. Locals often say, "Everything here is from Etna—both the good and the bad." Rossana, too, lives with Etna's "extraordinary normality," treating the volcano with respect and admiration.

Women in a Male-Dominated Field and the Railway's Future

Rossana, as a woman, is part of a small minority among the Circumetnea's workforce. She notes the historical low proportion of women in the company and the male-dominated environment. Despite uniforms, she and her female colleagues strive to maintain their individuality and femininity with makeup and longer fingernails, asserting their equality while celebrating their differences.

The journey to Randazzo on the north side of Mount Etna takes two hours and fifteen minutes. Randazzo, a well-preserved medieval town, has been threatened by eruptions but spared from lava flows. It serves as the final stop for trains, requiring passengers and even Rossana to change trains for the return journey or the onward trip to Riposto. Workshops in Randazzo handle wheel reprofiling and display board soldering.

The final section to Riposto now serves few travelers, as continuous service is no longer financially viable. The area around Etna is one of Sicily's wettest, with rainfall and mineral-rich soil creating ideal conditions for agriculture. Farmers produce fruits, vegetables, and traditional cheeses like Provola dei Nebrodi and sheep's milk ricotta.

Nino Valente's family farm, established by his father in the 1950s, is now run by Nino, his three brothers, and his sister, with 13 family members working there. Nino and his son, who showed a passion for farming from a young age, produce traditional cheeses and ricotta, selling their goods in their Randazzo store.

The End of an Era

The next day, Alfio Pecorino, whose family has worked for the railway for generations, drives an 1980s train to Riposto. Only three trains a day run this section, taking just under an hour to reach the Ionian Sea, passing vineyards and fruit plantations. The Alcántara River, near the tracks, features distinctive basalt rock formations formed by lava flows from Etna 300,000 years ago.

Many stations along the route have been abandoned due to a lack of passengers. Salvo Sterlini, a 62-year-old retiree, made the old Santa Venera station his home, dedicating his free time to building model railways. He finds appeal in the tracks themselves, seeing them as natural elements blending harmoniously with their surroundings.

For over 120 years, the Ferrovia Circumetnea has connected the towns around the volcano, becoming an integral part of generations' lives. Alfio, like Rossana, feels an emotional attachment to the narrow-gauge railway, valuing its unique charm over speed and technology. He acknowledges the "progress" that led to the closure of the Catania-Paterno line, but laments the loss of sentimentality.

After an hour and ten minutes, the train pulls into Riposto. Alfio clocks off, but the Ferrovia Circumetnea will continue taking passengers around Mount Etna, for now, facing an uncertain future.