Mount Etna

This fuming mountain, located in the Sicilian province of Catania, is Europe's largest active volcano. The easiest way to get to this majestic natural attraction is to rent a car or join a tour group (Sicily Life and Legendary Sicily are popular companies). Once there, you can hike on some of the craters. But to really reach the heights, you'll need to take a cable car (offered by Funivia dell'Etna) from the Rifugio Sapienza building; this will cost you around €23 EUR or about $32.50 USD.  Then, from the cable-car's drop-off you can either climb even higher up the mountain to a safe viewing point or hop in one of the tour trucks for an additional fee.

One pleased TripAdvisor user says, "The landscape is like nothing you have ever seen before, just breathtakingly deserted and lunar-like." The same user recommends being prepared for the altitude and temperature change on the volcano by wearing some kind of waterproof clothing, a warm jacket and some hiking boots, or at least footwear that's somewhat sturdy.

The volcano is a part of the Parco dell'Etna; for more information, visit the park's website.