We stayed at Il Nido Dell’ Etna in May 2008 and found it to be a great place. The hotel is located on the edge of Linguaglossa, a small town on the slopes of mount Etna) and has panoramic views of Mount Etna (which obliged with some minor pyrotechnics during our stay!), it has easy parking and is within walking distance of the centre of Linguaglossa.

The hotel is approximately 3 years old and was purpose built to a high standard – our rooms were well designed and nicely decorated. The food was consistently good, continental breakfasts and optional evening meals including a range of local dishes. The staff were without exception helpful and friendly, especially the owner Luigi who went out of his way to help us organise the local activities we wanted during our stay. We arranged to go quad biking using one of Luigi’s local contacts – he was also able to offer other options we didn’t take up including visiting the local vineyards and golfing.

Linguaglossa is not a major tourist centre, and public transport links are limited (some buses and the Ferroviacircumetna train) but it is within easy driving distance of the Mount Etna national park, Taormina and the coast. We flew into Catania and had pre-arranged a transfer via the internet (Shuttles Direct) – this worked really well with the driver waiting for us when we arrived and being at the hotel in good time for the transfer back at the end of our stay. Our impression was that this was also a cheaper option than picking up a taxi at the airport. We also used a hire car – as a UK driver I was apprehensive regarding driving in Sicily but found the Autostrada and roads outside of the towns to be quiet and the driving much easier than expected – we didn’t however brave the main towns or busy areas!.

In Linguaglossa we found good pizza and local wine at Pizza Antonio (Via San Nicola) – a genuine Italian family restaurant offering great quality at very good prices; also very good Sicilian food and excellent wine at Ristorante Boccaperta (http://www.ristoranteboccaperta.com) on Via Umberto. If you want to picnic there are a number of great delis on Via Umberto selling local bread, cheese, ham and olives plus excellent fresh fruit and vegetables.

We visited Taormina a couple of times, it’s quite a contrast to Linguaglossa, being much more of a tourist centre. It’s more vibrant, with many more shops, restaurants and cafés but as you would expect its also more expensive. A trip to the amphitheatre is well worthwhile, to see both the building and the setting.

Highlights of our trip were walking and quad biking on the edges of the Etna National Park, taking a trip to the summit of Mount Etna from Piano Provenzana and relaxing in Taormina.

In summary; Il Nido dell’Etna is a great hotel which offers high quality service and accommodation with friendly and helpful staff and is Linguaglossa is great base for visiting Etna and the surrounding areas. The town gives a feel for the real Sicily - but to get the best from the area you really do need a car.