The Gurrida lake

The Gurrida Lake is a unique element inside Etna Park. It is the only wet area near the volcano, here you can admire many migrating birds, especially during winter and spring. The lake is seasonally fed by the Flascio stream, a small river that throughout the centuries has been a tributary of alternately Simeto or Alcantara, until the 1536 eruption blocked its flow for good. This caused the formation of the Gurrida Lake. In the past many drainage works have been made to mitigate the risk of flooding, including the creation of two areas: the "permanent" lake and a sort of "emergency water tank", flooded in a controlled way during the rainy season. Nearby the lake there is a series of vineyards belonging to the “Gurrida” farm, known as the "flooded vineyards". This is an amazing phenomenon, made possible by the work of nature and mankind.

The Gurrida Lake path had been redeveloped in the 2018 by new owners of the Gurrida Farm, overcoming a few years of total neglect of the area.
The path has been cleaned up, it is now accessible every day from 9:00 to 18:00. In summer time, the entrance may be possible even in the evening. For more detailed information, please contact the managers of the Gurrida farm through their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/aziendagurrida/

It is also possible to reach the lake through the Circumetnea railway, getting off at the "Gurrida" stop, about an hour and 40 minutes by train from Catania.
During the weekends it is also possible to have lunch, take a guided tour of the cellars and taste the wine produced on the farm. Booking in advance is mandatory.

Weekends visitors con also to buy local products, produced by the Gurrida farm or other local farmers, including: wine, honey, nuts, fruit and cheeses.

At the moment the photos and the GPX track refer to the route before it was fixed, when it was not possible to make the tour. In a few months we plan to update the route

The starting point is just outside the Randazzo residential area, going along the SS 120 towards the direction of Maletto. After a few kilometres there are signs for Murazzo Rotto and after that, on the left, there is a sign for the Gurrida path. You will pass a building materials company and finally you get to the entrance to the “Gurrida” Company, starting point of the path.
The rest of the path will be described during upcoming months