Introducing Stromboli

Stromboli’s perfect triangle of a volcano juts dramatically out of the sea. It is the only island whose smouldering cone is permanently active, thus attracting experts and amateurs alike, like moths to a massive flame. Volcanic activity has scarred and blackened one side of the island, while the eastern side is untamed, ruggedly green and dotted with low-rise whitewashed houses. A youngster among the Aeolians, Stromboli was formed a mere 40,000 years ago and its gases continue to send up an almost constant spray of liquid magma. The most recent volcanic eruptions took place in February 2007 when two new craters opened on the volcano’s summit, producing two scalding lava flows. Although seismic activity, including rock falls, continued for several days, fortunately no mass evacuation was deemed necessary.