Uncategorized

The volcanic island, not the savory pastry. 

 Stromboli was the main reason I was drawn to the Aeolian Islands and included them as part of my visit to Sicily. As one of the most active volcanoes on the planet for the last 2,000 years, its nickname is “The Lighthouse of the Mediterranean”, and it didn’t disappoint for my visit (though the night tour I chose kind of did and I’ll explain why).

For the past week, I had been looking at this cone shaped island in the distance, often with a cloud of vapor at the summit, knowing I would be completing my trip there. Even from a distance, it was obvious that this island was different. As the ferry pulls into port, I was greeted by the rugged, rich green slopes of the volcano, contrasted with the arguably uninviting black sand beaches.  The village around the port is small, filled with the obnoxiously loud, but charming, three-wheeled Piaggio Apes, which are ubiquitous in Sicily, but even more prominent here because of the narrow “streets”- they zip up down the narrow streets, often within inches of oblivious tourists. 

 It wasn’t long after stepping foot on the island that I heard and felt a low pitch grumbling noise- initially not sure if it was my stomach growling or a boat engine- then a few seconds passed and I saw a cloud of vapor rising from the summit. I had just experienced my first Stromboli eruption.  They happen regularly, not quite like clockwork and they vary in intensity but 2-3 per hour seemed to be the norm during my visit.  The eruptions aren’t visible from the port side or Stromboli Village, but they can be heard and felt everywhere as tourists gawk and locals go about their business.

I only had two nights on the island before I started to make my way to Rome for my return to the US. In retrospect, two nights was not enough, and I would have traded my night on Alicudi for another night on Stromboli.  I would also NOT do the night hike again that everyone raves about- I’ll tell you why and what to do instead below. 

I used the Alltrails app during my visit to the Islands to find hiking trails with navigation points, it is very helpful and provides reviews from other hikers on conditions and whether a particular hike is worth the effort.  I recommend using this app.  My first afternoon on Stromboli I decided to hike the Sciara del Fuoco-Observatory trail through the sugar cane, up to the maximum altitude allowed without a guide (290m).  Since part of the trail is closed to the public, I hiked counter-clockwise and instead of completing the loop, hiked it as an out and back, enjoying some time at the beach after I was done.  This trail gives you a great view of the summit crater, and is in good condition (about 5 miles round trip).  I did the hike during daylight hours so the lava was not visible in the eruptions- for that you need to do a night hike.  I had signed up for what I anticipated would be the highlight of my trip- a night hike on my final night.  

On the morning of the night hike, I checked in with MagmaTrek at their office in the morning to pay the 25 Euro (I was shocked at how inexpensive this was- red flag #1), sign waivers and confirm my presence on the island.  They instructed me to be back at their office at 5PM for a 5:15 departure up the trail to volcano.  When I arrived at 5 I was given a helmet but told not to adjust it as they never really use them, but more of just a way to identify groups.  I thought this was weird (red flag #2).  Sunset was at 8:30 and I knew the hike from the base should only take about 2 hours, so that was going to leave a lot of daylight (red flag #3).  We arrived at the maximum 400m around 7:30 after a fairly easy but dusty hike, most of which I had already done or seen in my morning solo hike.  We had some time to have a snack, learn about the volcano from the guide, and then we waited for the sun to go down so we could witness the color of the eruptions.  The sun had set over the horizon but we were still in the blue sky phase when the guide came around to tell us we’d be leaving in 10 minutes to go back down.  I was disappointed because we had only seen 2 or 3 eruptions under darkness.  All told, it was about 5 hours of hiking for about 30 minutes of suitable darkness to witness the eruptions.  As we headed back down the hill with our backs toward the volcano, we could hear the eruptions, followed by the ooohs and ahhhs from people watching below at the Observatory Restaurant.  It was irritating to have invested 5 hours of hiking for such a short period of observation, while others were sipping cocktails and eating delicious food and simply looking up from their tables at the volcano.  It was hot, humid and extremely dusty as our group of 25 people slowly made its way back down the mountain. 

Here’s what I would do differently.  Ditch the conga line guide groups, pack a picnic dinner, headlamp and depart from Stromboli Village about an hour and half before sunset, arrive at the 290m observation platform right around sunset.  the extra 100m or so that a guide gets you is NOT worth it to be on their schedule. Stay as long as you want.  Alternatively, just make a reservation at the Observatory Restaurant and walk over there- you won’t have as good of a view of the crater, but you will be comfortable and can enjoy a real dinner while watching all of the activity.  I don’t blame the tour guides.  After a 2019 eruption killed a hiker to the summit authorities closed the summit and made 290m the highest you can go without a guide.  I assume to protect the local guide industry, they allowed guides to bring visitors to 400m.  That difference in elevation just isn’t worth it.  

Stromboli is the most alluring of all the islands I visited.  As I stepped foot onto the ferry to take me back to Milazzo and onto Rome for my return the States, I already wanted to go back.  

**Waiting for reliable internet, will upload more photos soon