You can spend a beautiful May Sunday, if you wish, at Piano Fiera, on the southern slope of Mount Etna. It is a few kilometers away from Adrano and Paternò, on the warmest and sunniest side of the volcano and yet this area also offers complete relaxation full of shade and coolness. And it allows you to base and organize excursions, not so difficult, in the surrounding areas – among the most beautiful to see.
About Piano Fiera
Piano Fiera (you can translate it as: Market Plain) is an open area in the woods that cover the southern slope of Etna. It is surrounded by the Intraleo, Forno, Albano and Testa hills and offers a view of part of the top of the volcano. Frequented for some time, most likely as the name suggests as a marketplace for agricultural products or livestock, it has now become a picnic-equipped area. Tables, benches, barbecue spots and a playground for children, as well as convenient parking spaces, have made it a place loved by people of all ages. It is located at an altitude of 1525 meters asl, at the end of the driveway that leads from Adrano to Etna. Although the area is surrounded by woods, the picnic place itself has no shade. This is why it is not recommended in the hot summer months, but it is perfectly fine in the spring.
What to see, what to do at Piano Fiera
People come to Piano Fierap to relax and have a picnic, to take their children to play outdoors and to attempt walks or excursions. The large car park and the convenient proximity to inhabited centers allow many to get there by car, but there are those who like to reach Piano Fiera on foot too, starting from the valley. People come here to enjoy the landscape and to eat. But in the immediate surroundings you can walk in the shade of the woods and you can try to climb the nearby hills. In particular, Mount Intraleo and the homonymous cave are the main attractions.
The surroundings
The closest destination is Mount Intraleo, an ancient extinct crater now covered in woods. Excellent for mental relaxation accompanied by healthy gymnastics in nature. Not far away is the Intraleo cave, formed by several overlapping lava-flow tunnels, including a 30-metre long gallery and another one up to 50 meters long.
The Case Zampini route opens 10 minutes away from Piano Fiera and runs alongside the base of Mount Albano. You walk under beautiful shady holm oaks that form the wood called Centorbi (or also Bosco del Prato Fiorito), where many orchids also bloom. Attention! Wild orchids should not be picked, because they take many years to grow back and are a floral heritage to protect!
For the more sporty and adventurous, a 2-hour walk from Piano Fiera takes you to the picturesque Galvarina refuge, a delightful equipped hut that stands in the center of a beautiful wood. The route is tiring, but not that much, and offers unique views along the way. If, on the other hand, you want to spend a few hours in the towns, Adrano is 16 km from the plain. Sports enthusiasts can also reach it on foot, with a two-and-a-half hour walk, but the paved roads allow you to arrive in 30 minutes by car. Biancavilla is 20 km from Piano Fiera and Paternò 27 km (more or less a 44-minute drive).
How to get to Piano Fiera
From Catania to Adrano, along the state roads 284 and 121, you cover 50 km in about an hour. Once in the town, follow the road called Salita Sella della Luna which leads directly to Piano Fiera.