Tag: Gulf of Naples

Around Mount Etna ๐ŸŒ‹ and Vesuvius ๐ŸŒ‹ by train ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น

Gareth4 Comments on Around Mount Etna ๐ŸŒ‹ and Vesuvius ๐ŸŒ‹ by train ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น

Italy has twelve volcanoes. Two of them, which are some of the most active in the country, also have railways operating local passenger services around them. There is the Circumvesuviana circulating Mount Vesuvius on the Gulf of Naples and the Circumetnea around Mount Etna on Sicily. So why did Italy build them?

Both railways were built at the end of the 19th century, and their purpose is mutual – they exist to serve local villages situated around the volcanoes, connecting them to each other and to the nearby cities of Naples and Catania. These railways are a lifeline for the communities they serve, which is evident from the high numbers of locals who use these services every day.

The routes are not so much of a tourist attraction, with their fragmented timetables for completing the full circle and at least one change of train required on both routes. However, travelling around them does not just offer fantastic views, but it also constitutes a unique insight into local life. A truly unique experience.

Circumvesuviana – Naples

Route map of the Circumvesuviana
Route map of the Circumvesuviana.
Source – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circumvesuviana_maps.png
Journey LegBest Views
Barra to Barra (clockwise)Right Hand Side – views of Mount Vesuvius
Recommendations based on a clockwise journey from Napoli Porta Nolana to Barra

Firstly, around Vesuvius. I started my journey at the terminus of the Circumvesuviana at the station of Napoli Porta Nolana, opting to travel clockwise. I recommend to start here to avoid the crowds boarding at Napoli Garibaldi, the next station. As you can see on the map (above), there are two trains required to complete the full circle, with a change at Poggiomarino and a total travelling time of two hours (excluding the connection time at Poggiomarino).

The Circumvesuviana offers two types of rolling stock – the FE220 and the newer ETR221. The latter is far more comfortable, as you can probably tell from the photos (below), while the FE220 seats gave me past vibes of the chairs in my classroom at school.

It was certainly an experience travelling on these trains โ€“ one of the drivers activated the emergency brake at least twice en-route, resulting in passengers standing performing an impromptu run backwards down the carriage. Later on in the trip, the train happened to pass one of the ETR221s involved in an accident over 10 years ago in the sidings, looking worse for wear, which certainly serves as a stark reminder of the incident. Nevertheless, do not let this put you off this highly agreeable ride.

The purple ETR221 train exterior at Napoli Porta Nolana station
The ETR221 at Napoli Porta Nolana
The interior of the ETR221 train with blue and red seats and passengers reading
Interior of the ETR221
The view from the window of the ETR221 train
Scenery for the first leg from Napoli to Poggiomarino
An exterior photograph of the train at Poggiomarino
Changing trains at Poggiomarino
Interior picture of the train from Poggiomarino to Napoli Porta Nolana with hard plastic seats, yellow walls and red floors
Interior of the FE220
A view of the window with a volcano as a backdrop
Scenery from the FE220 from Poggiomarino
A view out of the window of the train of the volcano
Scenery from the FE220 from Poggiomarino

Circumetnea – Sicily

The route map of the Circumetnea from Catania to Riposto. The route is circular.
Route map of the Circumetnea
(Source – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovia_Circumetnea#/media/File:Mappa_ferr_Circumetnea.png)
Journey LegViews
Catania Borgo to Riposto (clockwise)Left Hand Side – views from a-height (recommended)
Right Hand Side – views of Mount Etna
Giarre Riposto to Catania (southbound, clockwise)Left Hand Side – Ionian Sea
Right Hand Side – views of Mount Etna
Recommendations based on a clockwise journey from Catania to Giarre Riposto on the Circumetnea and a mainline journey from Giarre Riposto to Catania.

Mount Etna is the highest and largest active volcano in Europe, so it will not come as a surprise that this route takes all day to travel around. The varied landscapes and great view of the volcano make the journey worthwhile.

Starting at the beautiful terracotta Catania Borgo station, there are two departures per day to enable you to travel the full circle in a clockwise direction. Early birds can take the 08:05 departure, or for those who like a leisurely morning, the later 12:20 โ€“ both departures go through to Randazzo, where you must change trains. I opted for the lunch time departure, which also has the shortest connection time at Randazzo of 47 minutes between trains compared to 2 hours and 7 minutes for the 08:05 departure.

The next train departs from Randazzo at 12:10 or 15:06 respectively to Riposto, where you must change one final time to the nearby Giarre-Riposto station onto a Trenitalia ‘Intercity’ or ‘Regionale’ train back to Catania.

Logistics out of the way, what about the experience? Similarly to the Circumvesuviana, the route serves local communities, even though the experience itself is different. Firstly, the Circumetnea climbs up the volcano unlike its counterpart, so it is best to sit on the side away from the volcano for the best views this time.

The train ascends shortly after departure from Catania through the lava rocks and then fields with Bronte pistachios growing in abundance. This journey to Randazzo serves the most populated communities on the route, and has highly loaded trains to match especially between Paterno and S. M. Licodia Centrale stations, where we were accompanied by a large group of school children onboard. The crowding was only for a couple of stops thankfully.

Arriving at the medieval village of Randazzo, you have to alight and wait for the next train arriving on the same platform later. Two trains then arrived at the depot, one going back to Catania and the other onto Riposto. There did not seem to be an indication of which train was going where, so I checked with the staff, but the busiest one by far was the one going back to Catania. Surprisingly I was the only passenger for Riposto – the northern part of the route has the most picturesque scenery.

A photo of Catania Borgo station with red walls, a tree and a large sign saying Ferrovia Circumetnea
Catania Borgo station entrance
A view from the platform of the railway at Catania Borgo station
Catania Borgo station
The one carriage train at Catania Borgo station heading to Randazzo. It is green and white with the letters FCE on the side and front.
The FCE to Randazzo
Onboard the Circumetnea with a view of the volcano in the background through the windows and red bench seats.
Onboard the FCE for the first leg from Catania to Randazzo
A view out of the window of the train with volcanic lava fields on the right and the side of the train's exterior on the left.
Scenery for the first leg from Catania to Randazzo
A view out of the window of the train with volcanic lava fields
Scenery for the first leg from Catania to Randazzo
The second Circumetnea train at the platform of Randazzo station. Customers wait to board on the platform.
The FCE at Randazzo taking us to Riposto
View from the train over the mountainous scenery between Randazzo and Riposto.
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
Pistachio fields as seen from the train
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
The sun shines through the clouds over the fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
A small farm building surrounded by fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
Farm buildings surrounded by fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
Houses with terracotta walls and roof tiles as can be seen from the train from A small farm building surrounded by fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
Green fields and terracotta houses as can be seen from the train A small farm building surrounded by fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
Scenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
Green fields and terracotta houses as can be seen from the train with a mountain backdrop. A small farm building surrounded by fields as can be seen from the train from Randazzo to Riposto
cenery for the second leg from Randazzo to Riposto
The green and white coloured FCE train at Giarre station that has a red terracotta station building
Arrival at Giarre station. The FCE continues to Riposto.
The mainline Trenitalia InterCity train at Giarre-Riposto station. Train is grey and white with a red stripe. There's a public information display board telling customers that the train goes to Siracusa and departs at 16:58.
Departure from Giarre-Riposto back to Catania onboard the Trenitalia Intercity train

Fares

Circumvesuviana

Ticketing is priced according to scheduled journey duration. If you wish to travel the full circumference in one go, you can use a โ‚ฌ4,90 ticket valid for 180 minutes, the journey time being 51 minutes from Napoli PN to Poggiomarino on the red-coloured route, and 59 minutes from Poggiomarino to Napoli PN on the green-coloured route. If you decide to break your journey to visit Pompeii or Herculaneum (both are highly recommended), you need to purchase additional tickets at stations en route; there is no ‘day’ or ‘network’ ticket (perhaps a missed opportunity!).

Journey LegFull Public Cost
Napoli Porta Nolana to Napoli Porta Nolanafrom โ‚ฌ4,90 on the day (according to journey duration)
Cost based on a clockwise journey from Napoli Porta Nolana

Circumetnea

Pricing is by distance for the Circumetnea and tickets available on the day of travel. If you wish to travel the full circumference you can use a ticket covering 70km+. Another ticket is required for the Trenitalia leg that can also be purchased on the day.

Journey LegFull Public Cost
Catania Borgo to Riposto (Circumetnea)โ‚ฌ6,80 on the day
Giarre Riposto to Catania (Trenitalia)โ‚ฌ3,40 (Regionale) on the day
โ‚ฌ8,50 (Intercity) on the day
Cost based on a clockwise journey from Catania Borgo to Catania via Randazzo and Riposto

This article was first published in July 2022 based on journeys in Autumn 2020.

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