Planning a holiday to Sicily without visiting Stromboli? Impossible. This is one of those things that should not be missed because, with its breathtaking scenery and the Sciara del Fuoco (the blackened lava scar running down Stromboli’s northern flank) illuminating the starry nights, Stromboli gives truly unforgettable moments.

Its volcano, one of the most active in the world, counts on average at least one eruption every quarter of an hour, but don’t panic, the eruptive fire reverses only in the uninhabited part.

The Stromboli overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea offering a combination of elements: water, fire and earth in a few square kilometres leaving everyone breathless, both locals and not. The locals nicknamed it the Strummulu or Iddu.

At 926 meters above sea level, it reaches a depth between 1300 and 2400 meters and has given life to a small island that houses a lighthouse of the Italian Navy. Its birth origins from the remains of an ancient volcanic chimney.

The first historical references to Stromboli date back to Aristotle and, later, we find it in Latin, Roman and Greek mythology.

The island’s charm has also made it the perfect setting to shoot the film Stromboli, the Land of God by Roberto Rossellini, and the ideal location for the blossoming of a new love: the one between the director and the beautiful actress and Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman, a relationship that caused scandal as they were both married to someone else. Furthermore, the volcano was the destination for the conclusion of the science fiction novel by Jules Verne, Journey to the Center of the Earth.

We definitely recommend climbing the volcano at sunset, starting from Ginostra. Three or four hours will be enough to reach the top and there, before your eyes, the show will be unique! Most importantly, climbing can only be done with an authorized guide.

To move around the island and visit Stromboli by exploring its most remote corners, you could use the “metro trekking” map, which can be purchased directly online. Its peculiarity? all routes and paths are marked exactly like the lines of a subway, each with a different colour and number. The map also shows the time required for each journey, the difficulty level and the GPS coordinates of departure and arrival.

Another way to admire the Strombolian show is on a boat. Departure from the port of Stromboli in the direction of Sciara del Fuoco. Passage at a reduced speed at the foot of the Sciara to admire the Strombolian activity, which after the sunset offers the spectacle of the rolling of incandescent volcanic bombs, ashes expelled from the summit craters and projected along the slope of the Sciara. Return to the port of Stromboli.

For the less daring but romantic, we recommend instead to stop for a sunset aperitif in Ginostra. It will be the right way to end the day!