# Visiting Italy's volcanoes: what you can book

> Campi Flegrei sits at yellow alert with an attention phase. Here is where the current bulletin lives and what a summit visit actually requires in 2026.

URL: https://myitalia.it/plan/volcanoes
Last updated: 2026-09-02

The alert level you need is published by the civil protection department and the supporting bulletins by INGV's Osservatorio Vesuviano, and as of September 2026 Campi Flegrei sits at yellow with an attention phase.

## The bulletin is the source, not this page

INGV's Osservatorio Vesuviano publishes 4 products: a monthly surveillance bulletin, a weekly bulletin devoted to Campi Flegrei, web bulletins, and VONA notices for aviation. They live at ov.ingv.it. The alert level itself is a civil protection decision, informed by those measurements.

Any travel page that tells you a volcano is fine, including this one, is describing a moment. The correct way to use what follows is to read it, then open the current bulletin on the day you book and again on the day you go.

## Campi Flegrei: yellow, attention phase

Campi Flegrei is at yellow alert with operational phase 2, attention, established by decree on October 30, 2025 and confirmed by the civil protection department on November 4, 2025 after the major hazards commission met. Yellow is the second of 4 levels and denotes medium departure from the volcano's equilibrium.

Phase 2 has practical content: reinforced monitoring, verification of civil protection measures, and non-structural prevention through training, information and exercises. None of that is evacuation, and none of it restricts a visit to Pozzuoli or the Solfatara area on its own.

## Etna: 1,920 m by road, 2,500 m by cable car, 3,000 m with a guide

The only cable car on the volcano starts at Rifugio Sapienza on the south side, above Nicolosi, at 1,920 m, and climbs to 2,500 m. From there the Tour 3000 continues by 4x4 bus, replaced by snowcat in winter, to roughly 2,800 m, and then on foot with a volcanological guide to 3,000 m.

The operator publishes those altitudes and no prices or timetables on any reachable page: the ticket links all redirect to a booking engine. So this page gives you the shape of the ascent and not the cost, and you will find the cost only inside that engine.

## The summit height 3 official sources disagree about

The INGV factsheet gives Etna 3,324 m, the civil protection factsheet gives 3,350 m, and an INGV drone survey in July 2024 measured 3,369 m on the eastern rim of the Voragine. All three are official and current, and the highest is the newest.

The reason is not carelessness. The summit changes with every eruptive phase, and the earlier drone surveys recorded 3,354 m on the South-East crater in December 2023 and 3,347 m in August 2021. Any height you publish for Etna needs a year and a source attached, which is also true of any height a guide quotes you.

## The UNESCO boundary is the empty part

Etna has been on the World Heritage list since 2013 under natural criterion viii, and the inscribed site is the uninhabited summit portion of the volcano: 19,237 hectares of core zone with a 26,220 hectare buffer. Its eruptive activity is documented for at least 2,700 years, one of the longest continuous records anywhere.

That boundary is useful to a visitor because it matches the part with no villages, no vineyards and no shelter. Above the cable car you are in it, and the weather that closes the upper section closes it at short notice.

## Vesuvius, in one line and a link

Trail 5 to the crater is sold online in advance only, under presidential decree 24 of June 29, 2026, which sets time bands and caps, with the ridge route on the north and east flanks closed unless authorized. The full ticketing arithmetic sits on [seven hundred thousand under Vesuvius](/stories/seven-hundred-thousand-under-vesuvius).

## FAQ

### Where do I check the current volcano alert level in Italy?

Two places, and you need both. The civil protection department sets the alert level itself; INGV's Osservatorio Vesuviano publishes monthly surveillance bulletins, weekly Campi Flegrei bulletins, web bulletins and VONA notices for aviation, at ov.ingv.it.

### Is Campi Flegrei safe to visit in 2026?

The area is at yellow alert with an attention phase, set by decree on October 30, 2025 and confirmed on November 4, 2025. Yellow is the second of 4 levels and means medium departure from equilibrium, not an imminent eruption. Recheck the bulletin before you travel.

### How high up Etna can I get without a guide?

The cable car from Rifugio Sapienza runs from 1,920 m to 2,500 m on the south side. Above that the Tour 3000 continues by 4x4 bus, or snowcat in winter, to about 2,800 m and then on foot with a volcanological guide to 3,000 m.

### How tall is Etna?

It depends which official source you read. The INGV factsheet says 3,324 m, the civil protection factsheet 3,350 m, and an INGV drone survey in July 2024 measured 3,369 m on the eastern rim of the Voragine crater, the highest figure ever recorded there.

### Do I need to book the Vesuvius crater trail?

Yes, online and in advance. Access to Trail 5, the Gran Cono, runs entirely on tickets bought ahead under presidential decree 24 of June 29, 2026, which fixes time bands and visitor caps. The ridge path on the north and east flanks is closed except by authorization.

### What do the 4 volcano alert colors mean?

Green is the volcano's ordinary activity. Yellow, orange and red describe rising departure from that state toward a possible eruption. National emergency planning exists for 4 volcanoes: Stromboli, Vulcano, Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il sistema nazionale di allerta vulcanica italiano prevede quattro livelli - verde, giallo, arancione, rosso - dove il verde corrisponde all'attivita' ordinaria del vulcano e i successivi a stadi crescenti di disequilibrio verso una possibile eruzione. | [Dipartimento della Protezione Civile](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/vulcanico/vulcani-italia/etna/); [doc 2](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/vulcanico/vulcani-italia/) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| I Campi Flegrei sono in livello di allerta GIALLO con fase operativa di attenzione: il livello e' stato stabilito con decreto del 30 ottobre 2025 e confermato dal Dipartimento della Protezione Civile il 4 novembre 2025 dopo la riunione della Commissione Grandi Rischi - settore vulcanico. | [Dipartimento della Protezione Civile](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/vulcanico/vulcani-italia/campi-flegrei/); [doc 2](https://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/comunicato-stampa/campi-flegrei-confermata-allerta-gialla-rischio-vulcanico/) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| Il monitoraggio dei Campi Flegrei e' affidato all'INGV - Osservatorio Vesuviano, che pubblica bollettini di sorveglianza mensili, bollettini settimanali dedicati ai Campi Flegrei, bollettini web e comunicazioni VONA per l'aviazione. | [INGV - Osservatorio Vesuviano](https://www.ov.ingv.it/index.php/monitoraggio-sismico-e-vulcanico/campi-flegrei) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| L'accesso al Sentiero 5 'Il Gran Cono' del Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio avviene solo con biglietto comprato online in anticipo su vesuviopark.vivaticket.it, unico venditore autorizzato: tariffa base 10,00 euro intero e 8,00 ridotto, 11,68 e 9,55 euro il prezzo effettivamente pagato sulla piattaforma. Il protocollo allegato alla Delibera del Presidente n. 24 del 29 giugno 2026 fissa 360 escursionisti l'ora, cioe' 60 persone ogni 10 minuti in tre gruppi da 20, di cui 50 biglietti in vendita 30 giorni prima e 10 rilasciati last minute mezz'ora prima della fascia. I tetti giornalieri vanno da 2.160 visitatori in inverno a 3.240 a luglio e agosto. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Vesuvio](https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Protocollo-Fruizione-Sentiero-5-ALLEGATO-DELIBERA-PRESIDENZIALE-N.-24-del-29062026.pdf); [doc 2](https://www.parconazionaledelvesuvio.it/visita-il-parco/i-sentieri-del-vesuvio/il-gran-cono) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| La funivia dell'Etna, unica sul vulcano, parte dal Rifugio Sapienza sul versante sud a 1.920 metri e arriva a 2.500 metri; da li' il Tour 3000 prosegue con bus 4x4 (gatti delle nevi in inverno) fino a circa 2.800 metri e poi a piedi con guida vulcanologica fino a quota 3.000 (2026). | [Funivia dell'Etna (SITAS)](https://www.funiviaetna.com/); [doc 2](https://www.funiviaetna.com/it/tour-3000/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Le quote di riferimento dell'Etna pubblicate dalle fonti istituzionali non coincidono: la scheda INGV riporta 3.324 m s.l.m., la scheda del Dipartimento della Protezione Civile 3.350 m, mentre il rilievo con droni INGV del luglio 2024 ha misurato 3.369 m sull'orlo della Voragine. | [INGV](https://www.ingv.it/etna); [Dipartimento della Protezione Civile](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/vulcanico/vulcani-italia/etna/); [INGV - blog INGVvulcani](https://ingvvulcani.com/2024/07/10/la-voragine-fa-la-voce-grossa-e-diventa-la-nuova-vetta-delletna/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| La quota massima dell'Etna misurata dall'INGV e' 3.369 metri, raggiunta dall'orlo orientale del cratere Voragine dopo i parossismi del luglio 2024: e' la massima altezza mai misurata sul vulcano. | [INGV - blog INGVvulcani](https://ingvvulcani.com/2024/07/10/la-voragine-fa-la-voce-grossa-e-diventa-la-nuova-vetta-delletna/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Monte Etna e' iscritto nella Lista del Patrimonio Mondiale dal 2013 con il criterio naturale viii; il sito coincide con la porzione sommitale disabitata del vulcano e misura 19.237 ettari, con una zona tampone di 26.220 ettari. L'attivita' eruttiva dell'Etna e' documentata da almeno 2.700 anni, una delle serie storiche piu' lunghe al mondo. | [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/monte-etna/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/organizza/volcanoes.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/planifica/volcanoes.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/preparer/volcanoes.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/planen/volcanoes.md