Autumn is the best time to admire the changes in nature on Mount Etna. In particular, in those years when cold weather is slow to arrive, going for a walk in the woods and lavas on the volcano is a panacea for everyone. For those who love the particular colors of this season, a place to suggest for a morning of relaxation and beauty is certainly the Ragabo pine forest, in the Linguaglossa area (Etna North). Among the tall centuries-old pines, beautiful ferns peep out!

The first yellow of ferns

Ferns are the first plants to take on that yellow color typical of autumn. And even if the larger trees are late, thanks to the ferns of the Ragabo undergrowth you will still have that magical feeling of the season. The fern, like many other species of the Etna flora, has adapted to living on a particular mountain such as the volcano. And today it covers many of its landscapes.

The ferns and… the others

In this season, if you walk through Etna woods, you will be able to admire the ferns in good company! In addition to these plants, in fact, you will spot the delicate violet points of the crocus, that is the saffron flower, but also the dog rose bushes, the ferulas and the aromatic herbs. Over time, chestnut curls will arrive to complete the landscape as they fall from the trees.

Ragabo ferns

The ferns of the Ragabo pine forest do not have particular characteristics, but they stand out because they are many and they are large. In some places they form inflamed expanses at the foot of the tall pines. Children play hide and seek through them, lovers love to sit there for their picnics.

Autumn mornings are ideal for enjoying the coolness of the pine forest and the colors of the ferns. We invite you to do it with a camera or mobile phone with which to capture the moments in which the sun forms particular shades with the yellow of the fern. Even lying down reading a book or listening to music among the ferns will be enough to feel good.

Respect the forest

Even though ferns are beautiful, and even though it is not a crime to collect them when they are withered, we invite you to resist the temptation. Not only because Mount Etna is also a natural park, and as such should be left as it is, but also because by leaving the ferns in their environment they will contribute – by decomposing and reproducing – to forming a new undergrowth for the following year. And don’t forget that even when newly born, in spring, green ferns are also beautiful. So give them the chance to continue being… forest!

How to get to Ragabo

To get to Ragabo, you can go up either from Linguaglossa (if you arrive from Taormina) or from Zafferana Etnea (continuing to Milo, Fornazzo and Etna Nord) along the Mareneve road which connects the coast with the highest and most panoramic points of the great volcano. (PHOTOS BY GRAZIA MUSUMECI)