Stromboli Volcano Island

Stromboli Volcano Island

Stromboli Volcano Island is one of the seven Lipari or Aeolian Islands lying in the Tyrrhenian Sea, near Sicily. The island is quite small in size. It lies on an area of 12.6 km² and rises 926 meters above sea level. At the top of Stromboli there are three craters of an active volcano.

The name of the volcano island comes from a Latinized form of the Greek word στρογγγύλη, which means “round”. Indeed, the fire-breathing Stromboli has a rounded shape. It reaches a diameter of 4 km and dominates the surrounding terrain. The islanders themselves call the volcano Iddu.

Video: Stromboli Volcano Island

• Highlights
• Island villages
• Features of Stromboli Volcano
• Volcano tours
• Little Stromboli
• Interesting facts
• How to get there

Highlights

About 200,000 years ago, the powerful volcano was located underwater. It formed in an active seismic zone, at the junction of the African and Eurasian platforms. About 160 thousand years ago, the volcano grew a cone, began to rise to the surface and formed a new island. An active crater occupied the southern part of the newly created landmass, while an old, fading crater occupied the northeast of the island.

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The young crater grew rapidly. It ejected lava flows, and these gradually created a tall volcanic cone or stratovolcano. Over its long history, the volcano’s slopes collapsed several times, but lava and pyroclastic material leveled the resulting defects.

As a rule, tourists are limited to observing Stromboli from aboard pleasure boats. However, there are many who want to see the eruptions from as close a distance as possible and climb to the top of the volcano for this purpose.

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Most travelers visit the island on day tours, but for those who want to spend a few days here, there are two three-star hotels built on the shore. In addition, tourists can always rent budget apartments with breakfast on Stromboli Island.

Island villages

Sicilians live on the volcano island of Stromboli in three villages. The two larger settlements, San Vincenzo and San Bartolo, occupy the northeast of the island. More recently they have been referred to as the town of Stromboli. The small village of Ginostra is located in the southwestern part of the island.

At the beginning of the last century, Stromboli was inhabited by several thousand people. However, after major eruptions, people moved away from the dangerous place, and today there are only 700-750 inhabitants left. From November to March, when the main flow of tourists stops, most of the islanders leave for Sicily, and the houses on Stromboli are empty.

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Move around the island on foot, on motorcycles and small cars, but more often – by boat along the coast. Almost all one- to two-story houses in the villages are painted white, so they are clearly visible from afar. Between them are narrow streets covered with cobblestone sidewalks.

The town of Stromboli is home to the Church of St. Vincenzo, a large pizzeria, several bars and restaurants. There is a Museum of Volcanology and many stores where you can buy volcano climbing equipment and souvenirs. There is a viewing platform in the town, but the craters of Stromboli are not visible from it. Nearby is the best beach on the island – Ficogrande. It is covered with pebbles and black sand, which was formed from pieces of volcanic lava crushed by the sea.

Features of Stromboli volcano

There are two other active volcanoes in Italy, Vesuvius and Etna. The peculiarity of the Stromboli volcano is that it is constantly erupting, and this process has not stopped for the last 20 thousand years. Explosions and the release of lava occur at intervals ranging from a few minutes to an hour. On average, eruptions occur every 15 to 20 minutes.

Because the summit of the erupting volcano is illuminated at night and visible for dozens of miles around, Stromboli is often referred to as the “lighthouse of the Mediterranean” or the “Tyrrhenian lighthouse”. Local sailors have learned to use it to predict the weather. It is believed that if the eruptions become more intense, a hot wind from the south will blow. And after there is a lot of smoke over the craters, a storm comes.

During an eruption, ash, gases and volcanic bombs are thrown to heights of several tens to hundreds of meters. The explosions are preceded by a loud roar. These are powerful streams of gases and molten magma coming out. After strong eruptions, you can see how the hot rocks roll down the slope and leave after hitting the solid rock bundles of luminous splashes, like New Year’s fireworks. Sometimes the noise of rocks falling into the water can be heard, and there is a distinct odor of sulfur in the air.

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Major eruptions on the volcano island of Stromboli do not happen often – once every few years or even a few decades. The last catastrophic activity of the volcano was noted in 1930. Then the release of lava and explosions led to the destruction of some houses and the death of three people.

In late December 2002, there was a strong outpouring of lava, which quickly reached the sea. A large chunk of rock broke away from the volcano’s slope, two large landslides occurred, and caused several tsunamis. The largest wave reached a height of 10 meters. It severely affected the coastal parts of San Vincenzo and San Bartolo.

Because of the threat of repeated eruptions, residents were evacuated and tourists were not allowed on the island for some time. Today, warning signs have been placed in many places on the volcano island of Stromboli to inform locals and tourists how to act in the event of large waves.

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In 2009, two new craters appeared on the slopes of the volcano. Now thick lava spews out of them from time to time.

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Volcano Tours

It is a dream of many to visit an active volcano and see the processes taking place in it at close range. Climbing to the top of the island-volcano Stromboli is usually held during the high season – from April to October. Due to the fact that the eruption process is better seen in the dark, tours try to do in the afternoon. As a rule, the ascent begins at 16.30, so that by sunset travelers can be at the top, then the eruption turns into a real extravaganza!

Anyone can conquer the top of the volcano island of Stromboli. Independently allowed to climb only up to a height of 400 meters. To go higher, you need to buy a group tour or hire an individual guide. There are several travel agencies on the island that organize such trips. Independent climbing without a guide is subject to a fine of 28 euros.

Climbing requires high trekking boots, a safety helmet and a flashlight. In addition, climbers are advised to bring a supply of drinking water and a warm jacket, because it can be quite cold at the top. All necessary equipment can be rented from the tour organizers for 7-8 euros. There are three routes up the mountain. The climb up the stony path takes about three to four hours, and the descent into the valley takes about an hour.

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Another great opportunity to watch the volcano “at work” is to hire a boat and sail to Sciara del Fuoco, which means “Stream of Fire” or “Street of Fire”. This is the name given to the blackened scar of lava flowing from northwest of Stromboli.

The coastal trail to Sciara del Fuoco begins at Piscita – 2 km west of the harbor. The eruption is most impressive at night, when small lava flows become clearly visible. The lava slopes are covered with thick layers of volcanic ash and rocks, so there is a great danger of rockfalls and landslides. For safety reasons, tourists are not advised to boat close to Sciara del Fuoco, much less go under the rocky slopes.

Little Stromboli

The old crater of the underwater volcano, which emerged from the bottom of the sea along with the active crater, has been fading and eroding year after year. Nowadays it is reminded of it by the sea rock of Strombolicchio, rising 49 meters above the water. It is located 2 km northeast of the main island. The rock is composed of hard basalt rocks and they preserve the picturesque natural monument by preventing further erosion.

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Tourists are taken to “Little Stromboli” to climb the stone stairs to the lighthouse and admire the expanse of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the volcano island of Stromboli from above. It should be borne in mind that the climb up to the lighthouse is not as easy as it may seem, as there is a staircase of 200 steps leading up to the top.

The rock of Strombolicchio is very much loved by divers. Ships with diving enthusiasts are always docked here. The sea near “Little Stromboli” is extremely transparent and visibility underwater is very high.

Interesting facts

• Homer is believed to have described Stromboli in the poem “The Odyssey”. The ancient author named the island Aeolia and made it the home of Aeolus, the god of winds.
• The island of Sicily appears in the pages of Jules Verne’s famous novel Journey to the Center of the Earth. It is through this volcano that the main characters of the novel return to earth.
• The hero-villain from the popular children’s cartoon “Pinocchio”, released in 1940, is called Stromboli.
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• In honor of the base-volcano Stromboli is named the favorite of the inhabitants of Sicily, a hearty pie. Its filling is made of meat meatballs, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. Before the pie goes into the oven, several punctures are made in it. When the pie bakes, some cheese comes out through them, like the craters of a volcano.

How to get there

The volcano island of Stromboli is located 75 kilometers off the northern shores of Sicily. People get here from the port of the Sicilian town of Milazzo. Carriers offer ferry crossings of 1 hour 10 minutes and 5 hours 50 minutes.

There are also ferries to the island from Messina. From there, the journey to Stromboli takes about an hour and a half. Some travelers get to Stromboli by transferring to Lipari, the largest island of the archipelago.

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