History of Piano Provenzana
The history of Piano Provenzana – Etna Nord takes us back in time and dates back to the 1950s when the “1st Etna Trophy” ski race was organised on Etna’s northern slope. A ski mountaineering competition organised in teams right on the slopes of the active volcano.

In fact, the first ski school appeared in Piano Provenzana as early as the 1970s. And in the 1980s, hiking activities also began to take place at the summit craters.

The ropeway

As early as 1922, Linguaglossa saw the birth of the cableway from Linguaglossa to the highest mountain areas used to transport timber. At that time, the forest and timber in particular represented an important source of livelihood for the town of Linguaglossa.

This cableway was used to bring down these huge logs cut in the Ragabo forest and bring them to the village, exactly where the F.C.E. station is today.

By means of a cable and pulleys, these trunks were hooked up and by inertia arrived at their destination and then processed and sorted throughout Sicily. This cableway on Etna remained in operation until 1938 and was then decommissioned and dismantled.

The Mareneve road

After the traditional mule track used by lumberjacks to bring these huge logs down to the valley, called “trainara”, precisely because through this track the lumberjacks would load or tie large logs to oxen and have them hauled to Linguaglossa.

But already in 1947, the mule track that existed finally became a real road. Thus the first rubber-tyred vehicles began to be seen climbing Mount Etna and so both the transport of timber and coal became much easier.

With the birth of the road, the foundations began to be laid for a top-class tourist resort.

The road to Piano Provenzana
The mule track that led to Piano Provenzana was improved and arranged in 1974. Built on a track used to descend timber, by diverting a grant intended for the Rifugio Conti, a track was made that was later turned into a road.

Rifugio S.U.C.A.I. (Sottosezione Universitaria del CAI)
Built in 1923 as a refuge for the workers who were then working on the construction of the cableway later used to transport timber from the Ragabo pine forest down to the valley.

Then in 1933 Dr. Attilio Conti, and Ragioni Scarlata, on behalf of the Linguaglossa Town Council, handed over the premises and all the furniture of the S.U.C.A.I. Refuge, in the Bosco Ragabo pinewood for the duration of 29 years (and therefore until 31 December 1961) to the new caretaker Mr. Francesco Emmi.

The refuge became a point of reference for frequenters of Etna and remained active until 1971, when, after a terrible snowstorm, the ceiling collapsed due to the heavy weight and lack of maintenance. It has not been renovated since then.

Coppa Mareneve
It was in 1949 that the “1st Etna Trophy” was held, a ski mountaineering race consisting of teams of three participants.

The race took place along an original course, laid out on the highest slopes of the volcano, and the athletes had to put on or take off their skis, as required. The winners had the right to keep the trophy for a year, and then return it to the section to be raffled again.

The first edition saw an exclusively local participation, with the victory of the Linguaglossese team composed of A. Vecchio – S. Vecchio – A. Barone, but by the second edition, the race became of international interest and numerous teams composed of the best European specialists lined up to win the trophy.

Sciovia Etna
It was back in 1949 when the “Pineta Ragabo” company was founded out of the interest and will of a few Sicilians with experience in tourism. The aim of the company was to develop tourism on Mount Etna and particularly on the Linguaglossa side.

In fact, they began to plan how to create the conditions for hiking given the great potential that the area offered.

His first investment was the construction of the first mechanical ski lift on Etna’s southern slope. This was the starting point for alpine skiing in the central south during the 1949-1950 winter season.

Mareneve Village
Among the hairpin bends of the Mareneve Road in the heart of the Ragabo Woods, the “Mareneve Village”, initially called “Villaggio Magique”, was born in 1958.

The concession fell within the territory of the Sicilian Region, and even the realisation was at its expense. Immediately after its realisation, it was sold to a company that, after a trial period, decided to grant it to private individuals.

From the outset, the owners, “Fam. Pafumi”, believed in the potential of Linguaglossa’s northern slope, both because of its north-facing geographical position and its nature.

In fact, they presented a project to build a Rifugio-Albergo so that they could improve the structure and offer good hospitality. In addition, they wanted to combine other skiing facilities so as to make the most of northern Etna between summer walks and winter sports.

As early as 1951, they managed to obtain permission from the region to build a mountain refreshment centre with a capacity of over 100 people.

Thus “the Mareneve village” was born and the main objective of this village was to accommodate the mine workers for a period of at least 30 days so that they could oxygenate and purify themselves for the hard work they did every day.

In 1982, the Mareneve village was entrusted to the S.t.a.r. company, which restored it and also used it as a starting point for summer excursions to the summit craters.

Suddenly in 1984, the Mareneve village caught fire and was completely destroyed. Even today, despite funding from the Sicilian Region that allowed for the renovation of part of the main structure, it remains closed and abandoned.

Lifts Piano Provenzana
In 1971, the first cableways were built on the Etna North slope.

On a municipal concession, the company Nascivera of Rovereto implanted the first ski lift on Etna Nord called “Pouchoz”, which was later entrusted with the construction of another ski lift on Monte Conca in 1973.

The management of the lift was entrusted by the municipality of Linguaglossa to the “F.lli Vitale company”. It was sold after a couple of years to the S.t.a.r. company.

In the meantime, the S.t.a.r. company built three other plants called Coccinella, Anfiteatro and Tanaurpi. This concession was managed and remained active until 1994.

In 1982, the Mareneve village was entrusted to the S.t.a.r. company, which restored it and also used it as a starting point for summer excursions to the summit craters.
After a one-year standstill in 1994, local politics changed direction and since 1995 the facilities have been entrusted to and managed by other companies.

The Pouchouz ski lift has always remained managed by the S.t.a.r. company.

The rest of the lifts were managed by the local company S.t.e.l. and everything remained operational until the 2001 season, which was then cancelled with the 2002 eruption.

Rifugio Pouchoz
Rifugio Pouchoz is a masonry cottage with a large “cistern” tank built in the 1950s in the municipality of Linguaglossa.

The refuge was used both by shepherds as a shelter, and a part was used by the Cai Valleggiani skiing section of Linguaglossa as a reference point for athletes for winter sports.

The refuge was destroyed during the 1985 earthquake and reconstruction was no longer carried out, only the cistern remained.

Piano Provenzana activities
In 1976/77, a two-storey structure was built and used as a ski school, which was later converted into a restaurant given its size.

In 1980 a wooden structure called “Baita del pino” was built at the entrance to Piano Provenzana and was used as a trattoria managed by “Mr Confalone and Mr Marano”.

In 1982, “L’albergo le betulle” was built by the S.t.a.r. company and managed by another company “Paradise”.

In the mid-1980s, the first ski rental and storage activities and the first souvenir shops began to spring up.

In 1987, a wooden hut “Rifugio Nord Est” was built, following reconstruction after the 1985 earthquake, managed by the company S.t.e.l.

Pista di sci di fondo poiana
Thanks to Cav. Greco, president of the cai valleggiani sci sez. Linguaglossa, the first cross-country skiing track approved for national and even international competitions was built, with lengths of 5 km, 3.0 km and 2.5 km.

Etna Nord summit craters excursion
In 1972, the S.t.a.r. company, thanks to sturdy UAZ off-road vehicles that were able to climb up a driveway, began to organise the first excursions to the summit craters with the support of local mountain guides.

Initially, the departure was from an altitude of 1400 metres from the “Trattoria da Filippo” from where, on board these 4×4 buses, tourists could enjoy the beauty of the volcano at high altitude.

In 1976, the departure point was moved to a lower altitude and the buses departed from the “Chalet delle Ginestre”, a restaurant built by members Pentauro, Pafumi and Luppino, but after its construction, they left it in a state of neglect.

The S.t.a.r. company, after renovating and taking over this structure, used this restaurant as a starting point for excursions on the Etna North slope.

This lasted only a limited time because in 1981, due to a short circuit, the structure caught fire and so the company that ran the excursions was forced to move again and moved to the “Mareneve Village”.

As if misfortune were haunting them, after the company had restored the building they used as a base for the excursions, just two years later another fire destroyed the Mareneve Village.

In the meantime, in Piano Provenzana, S.t.a.r. built the “Le Betulle” hotel and since then the excursions to the summit craters from Etna Nord started from there until October 2002.

In 1971, he firmly believed in the development of Etna Nord and built a larger structure in front of this house, on a municipal concession, to be used as a trattoria and accommodation so as to be able to accommodate more people and start tourist accommodation on the northern slope.

In 1985, due to an act of arson, the premises were destroyed and the area between an altitude of 1,200 metres and 1,600 metres remained completely without facilities.

In 1989, the restaurant was rebuilt again and reopened, and it is still operating today, carrying on the family tradition, and is a point of reference for many tourists visiting Etna.

Today the “trattoria da Filippo” has changed its name and is called Rifugio Ragabo, but the management is still the same, handed down from father to son.

In 1971, he firmly believed in the development of Etna Nord and built a larger structure in front of this house, on a municipal concession, to be used as a trattoria and accommodation so as to be able to accommodate more people and start tourist accommodation on the northern slope.

In 1985, due to an act of arson, the premises were destroyed and the area between an altitude of 1,200 metres and 1,600 metres remained completely without facilities.

In 1989, the restaurant was rebuilt again and reopened, and it is still operating today, carrying on the family tradition, and is a point of reference for many tourists visiting Etna.

Today the “trattoria da Filippo” has changed its name and is called Rifugio Ragabo, but the management is still the same, handed down from father to son.

Brunek Refuge
Founded around 1950, it was known as the “house of the French” because it was used as a support for the guests of the village magique, which hosted exclusively French groups. The guests used the refuge as a reference and support.

In 1986, thanks to regional funding, the current wooden structure was built and took the name Brunek Refuge, linked to the name of the company that built the structure. In 1987 the management was entrusted to the S.t.e.l company.

Clan of the boys
In the years ’74/’75, thanks to the support of Father Ugo Aresco, colonies of young people came to the mountains for recreation. So Father Aresco began to host these young people by setting up a camp and trying to accommodate them so that they could relax and leave behind the various problems that surrounded them.

Turi Lo Giudice Mayor
A politician linked to the territory. Mayor several times of the municipality of Linguaglossa and president of the Proloco.

In 1970, thanks to a meeting he had with the technical director of the Sestriere ski resort, Paltrinieri, Mayor Lo Giudice used the meeting as an input to build a tourist resort on the Etna Nord slope.

In 1971 the first cableways were built on Piano Provenzana and, copying and imitating others, he tried to create a mini “Cortina”, a tourist resort in the south.

Certainly with his mistakes and his authoritarian way of doing things, always in good faith, if today we are talking about Piano Provenzana, thanks must certainly go to ‘Turi Lo Giudice’ because he believed in the potential of the Linguaglossa area.

There have been many events, festivals, and popular traditions promoted by him to make the Linguaglossa area known, to name a few, “La festa dell’Etna”, the Linguaglossa murals, the mountain festival, and many others.

Thanks to the politics of the times and the private individuals who firmly believed in the development of Etna Nord today, even if with few improvements, we continue to speak of tourism on Piano Provenzana – Etna Nord.