Our plan was to take the train from Catania Borgo to Randazzo, have lunch and then return. The goal was to get a couple of nice photos of Etna, enjoy a bit of time in Randazzo. While, technically, those goals were met, the experience left a lot to be desired. In hopes of helping others avoid our mistakes, here goes. 1. The train schedules on the website are out-of-date. If this activity is important to you, first day in town, make a trek to the station and get current info. Of the 4 morning trains listed to Randazzo, only 2 ran on Saturday - the 0800 and 1130, and neither departure time appeared on the published schedule. (I didn’t ask about weekdays, perhaps there would have been more options, but since we depart for Siracusa on Monday, it was a moot point for us.). I assumed there would be some variation in the schedule but I did not anticipate the major changes. Too late for the 0800, we chose the 1130, which should have allowed us time to get there, have a bite, walk around and return. As the train was more than 1.5 hours late, we arrived in Randazzo 30 minutes before the last train of the day to Catania left. We never even left the station. 2. The first half of the trip around (most of Etna) as far as Randazzo, is grim if not downright ugly. We expected a less-than-scenic start to the trip, as well as a dirty, crowded and uncomfortable train. We certainly got all of it. Trash of every description, tires, and building materials littered the landscape. Not enough seats, badly-behaved children, and a stifling hot carriage did nothing to improve our mood. There were a couple of chances to take photos of Etna itself, if you sit on the right, rather than left, side of the carriage. There are lots of lava fields and cactus, but nothing I’d call scenic. If you want scenery and Etna views, we were subsequently told to plan to leave very early, spend the entire day, and travel all the way to Giarre, and return to Catania on the main line. 3. We focused on the train, and spent more than 6 hours on it. Fact is, there are lots of bus choices, most of which, I assume, were better choices. I should have pursued that option as well. 4. We took some comfort in the fact many other European tourists made the same mistakes we did. We all agreed that the personnel in Catania could have done a better job in explaining the options and possible consequences. I speak functional Italian, and my English is pretty good. Neither helped to decipher the options. Indeed, train personnel in Catania and Randazzo weren’t even sure of the schedules, departure tracks and back-up options. It was practically comical. 5. Very few trains make the entire trip Catania to Randazzo and/or Giarre. Choose carefully or plan to make one or two transfers en route, each eating up valuable time because of irregularly-timed connections. For us, it was pretty much a totally wasted day. We’re chocking this up to adventures in traveling, and moving forward. But, remember to consider the bus!
Posted by
2846 posts
Thanks for sharing. I have thought of doing this when we go to Sicily. Perhaps I should reconsider.
Posted by
OP
Ashburn VA
844 posts
Perhaps you will choose the bus, or just plan better than I did. Our schedule here in Catania was messed up; that was part of my problem. I had set aside a day for the WW II museum, which was closed (and still is, into day 3, I might add) because they had no electricity. That threw off our Etna schedule. I’m usually a pretty good planner and I felt fairly confident that we could accomplish our Etna goals better than we did. In both the WW II museum and the train cases, I failed to have a workable plan b, and it came back to bite me. Should we ever return, I would try the train again, I think, using the guidance I learned from this experience. Or I’ll watch a YouTube video. Could go either way.
Posted by
North Carolina, USA
371 posts
to each his own, i suppose. i took the circumetnea to randazzo in june 2021. loved the classic diesel railcars that they still run. the trains were clean though noisy and without air-conditioning. for me, that's part of the charm. loved the views out of the openable windows, the lava fields on one side, and the valleys on the other. yes, the train passes through urban sprawl, industrial waste yards, and such when leaving/entering catania. on the other hand on what rail journey one doesn't see some version of blight? took the first train out from borgo in the morning. it was empty, probably due to covid still disrupting tourism. i had plenty of time to walk around randazzo, one of the highlights of my sicily trips. don't remember when i got back to catania but early enough to take an afternoon nap! generally, i will always take a train over a bus. train schedules can be difficult but trying to figure out buses is even worse, especially to and from small towns and villages. also, bus stops are not always clearly marked and ticket purchases may or may not be possible on a bus. lastly, getting off at the nearest stop to a destination can be a challenge especially if you can't communicate with the driver in italian. but that's just me using local bus lines, not a tourist-specific coach service.