Introduction to Stromboli

The most isolated of the archipelago, Stromboli (the accent is on the first syllable) is at the northeast extremity of the Aeolians, and is Europe's most active volcano. Its name derives from the Greek strongyle, meaning circular, and seen from afar it is a child's drawing of what a volcano should look like. Its single cone rises 926m (3,038 ft.) out of the sea, belching clouds of white smoke you can set your watch by. A recurring feature in classical literature, Stromboli is sometimes identified with the treacherous "wandering rocks" described to Ulysses, by the sorceress Circe.

Today, volcano buffs swarm to the island to witness the spectacular eruptions, best seen at night when the cascades of molten lava illuminate the hillside. For active types, the evening trek to the Sciara del Fuoco will be the highlight of traveling to the Aeolians. The island is particularly favored by German visitors, and is very much in keeping with the Romantic Teutonic tradition of dramatic landscapes. The island is an active volcano, bubbling and belching away under your feet. The black soil is rich in minerals and produces bigger, brighter, bolder vegetation. This rampant fecundity, combined with the intermittent rumbling of the beast beneath, and a distinct sense of isolation, can be extremely disquieting. It has been known for visitors to arrive in the morning only to set sail the same evening in search of somewhere a little less unnervingly wild. Car-free, the island has one "main" road running from the port along the shore to Ficogrande, and another from the port at Stromboli up to the upper part of the town at San Vincenzo. Hotels have electric buggies to pick you up; otherwise, local traffic is limited to scooters and api, the little scooter-powered vans.