Alcantara Gorge (Gole dell'Alcantara)

The Gole dell'Alcantara are a dramatic series of gorges in the Alcantara valley of north-east Sicily, near Motta Camastra in the Messina province, where the cold mountain river has cut a narrow canyon through ancient black lava that once flowed from Mount Etna. The result is striking: sheer walls of prismatic basalt, broken into tall columns and fan-like flower shapes by the way the lava cooled and contracted, rising up to around 25 metres on either side of the icy, fast-flowing stream. Visitors descend to the riverbed either by a lift and steps from the privately run Alcantara Gorges Botanical and Geological Park or by a free public stairway nearby, and at the bottom can paddle and wade into the gorge between the towering basalt walls, the water clear and bracingly cold even at the height of summer. In warmer months, when the river is low, more of the canyon can be explored on foot, and operators offer body-rafting and canyoning with wetsuits for those wanting to go deeper upstream. The surrounding park has botanical trails, viewpoints over the valley, and citrus and olive groves. A visit of around one and a half to two hours suits the gorge and a short walk, longer for a guided river excursion. The water is genuinely frigid, so water shoes and, for wading far, a wetsuit make a real difference, and the rocks are slippery. Mornings are quieter and the light reaches into the canyon; the gorge is busiest on summer afternoons in this scenic corner of eastern Sicily.