If you fancy visiting a volcano but find Etna a bit too ‘civilised’ for your taste, you’ll love Stromboli. Not only can you witness a lava eruption every 15 minutes, but the summit can only be reached on foot.  It’s not that tourists don’t flock there, but you really do have to make your own way to the crater, and the ascent and subsequent descent require a reasonable level of fitness.

Of course, the Italians have come up with an alternative for those who don’t fancy the climb. You can pay for a boat trip (20–35 euros) and watch the lava spectacle from the sea or from the terrace of the Osservatorio restaurant. 

You can only go up with a guide; if you go on your own, you could face a 500-euro fine. After all, this volcano is very much active, and in some parts there’s no way back – it’s all too easy to slip or fall. So if you’re going on foot, it’s really important to dress appropriately and, above all, wear the right footwear – the terrain is essentially just black sand, which you might still be shaking out of your shoes a month later, as mentioned in the post about Etna. A good tip is to take some old, loose-fitting socks, cut off the toe part halfway down the foot, and pull the remaining part over your ankle-high hiking boots, so that ash doesn’t get into your shoes the very first step. 

The ascent is towards the west and there’s a cold wind blowing at the summit, so whilst you’ll be baking in the hot sun at the start of the hike, it gets really cold and windy at the summit after sunset, and you’ll need a jumper, perhaps even a jacket. Other essentials include a head torch, something to drink and, if necessary, a snack. The guide will provide you with a helmet to protect against any falling rocks and a dust mask. Groups of 10 to 20 people are led up the mountain by a single guide, who provides interesting facts about both the volcano and the island as a whole along the way. You’ll reach the summit after about 4 hours and a climb of roughly 1,000 metres, with regular breaks, just in time for sunset. Unless you’re really unlucky and a cloud covers the crater, you might be in for one of the most breathtaking experiences of your life.

Every 15 minutes, you can witness a lava eruption that can reach up to 100 metres. The eruption is accompanied by a terrifying soundscape, sulphur fumes and a shower of ash and pebbles. Even as you approach the summit, you feel as though you’re heading into hell; the air begins to take on a yellowish tinge, the stench of gases from the maelstrom is everywhere, and you realise just how ‘tiny’ you are next to this volcano. But standing on the crater’s rim, you’re right in the midst of hell; an icy wind chills your back, pebbles clatter against your helmet as they fall, and your instincts scream, ‘Run before the earthquake hits!’ Yet before you lies a spectacle of lava, and even that tiny fraction of the volcano’s power on display makes it worth watching, if only for a moment. 

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