Aeolian Island Of Stromboli: More Than Its Five Star Active Volcano

Most tourists go to the island of Stromboli, in the Aeolian Islands off Sicily's north east coast, to hike its paths and watch its incredible, live volcano hurl its fire into the night sky. They stay only one night or even worse, take a boat trip to see the volcano from the sea and return to their hotel on another island. A big mistake!

Stromboli offers much more than its flamboyant volcano and merits a longer stay. It's a feast for the senses: hills with spectacular views and wild roses in May, black sand beaches, clear, blue sea, picturesque Aeolian white architecture and excellent seafood. Perfect for hiking, swimming, snorkeling, boating, photography, dining well or doing nothing at all.

Ever since I explored Stromboli on a day trip in 1995, I've been enchanted by it and returned for longer holidays. A visual person, I love contrasts of colours, textures and shapes.

Approaching Stromboli by boat, you see a huge black cone rising out of the blue sea. From the air, you see white buildings of San Vincenzo (population about 400) stretching along the east coast and a cluster of white houses in Ginostra (population about 27) on the west coast.

On Stromboli I move slowly, indulging in the visual buffet. Brilliant white, Aeolian style, cubed houses with shady verandahs supported by big, round white columns stand behind high white walls on stone streets too narrow for normal cars. Purple bougainvillea, red hibiscuses, orange geraniums and lemon trees peak over walls and add colour to the dazzling white scene. The blue sea washes against black jagged, volcanic rock or black sand.

Over the white houses the mountain rises with its black and brown top and skirt of green foot hills covered in yellow broom in spring. A lovely season to hike the paths!

In the morning or late afternoons I lie on the warm, black sand, taking dips in the sea. For meals I walk up to the town to Luciano's, a down home restaurant and dine on the big balcony with 180 degree panoramas of the town and sea. I always eat well on their antipasti buffet with grilled eggplant, swordfish, octopus, their seafood pasta or tasty fish.

For a more upscale experience, Ristorante Punta Lena, in a renovated Aeolian style house on a big shaded patio, overlooks a rocky shore and the sea. They focus on a delicious fish, seafood and vegetable plates and have an excellent wine list.

For a fusion style dining experience, Ristorante Ai Gechi in the upper part of San Vincenzo, sits on a side street between the port and the main piazza. You dine outside on the patio of the Aeolian style house and garden on fun, creative plates (like octopus salami) inspired by local Stromboli cuisine and chef owner Pippo's years of cooking experiences abroad.

The live volcano in the mountains creates an imposing presence that dominates the landscape. Walking along paths in its hills, you hear it rumbling every 15 to 20 minutes as if to say, "Welcome to my territory." At night as it hurls its fire into the night sky, as if it's showing off, "See my power and my beauty!"

For the easy walk, stroll through picturesque, narrow stone streets of homes and gardens to the end of the lower road that follows the sea in San Vincenzo to the "suburb" of Piscita and its black beach below cliffs. In early evening in daylight, walk for 45 to 60 minutes up the zigzagging stone and dirt road with lovely views of the town. You end at the Osservatoio Restaurant in the hills about 200 metres right above the sea.

Drink in hand on their patio, you look back at the sun setting over the sea in orange, pink and gold. As you dine under the darkening sky, you look up and if the volcano is behaving well, it explodes into the black sky. Spectacular, natural fireworks! I'm just a kid. I love lights that sparkle in the dark like volcanoes, fireworks, Christmas tree lights!

For your walk down, take a flashlight. The road is pitch black and Stromboli has no street lights. You can also take a rather bumpy taxi ride up or down.

For the intermediate hike, wear good hiking shoes. This three hour walk (depending how often you stop to take photos) is about half up and down steps and half on flatter ground. Well worth it for the magnificent views down to the town and sea! This hike ends at the Osservatoio Restaurant.

The challenging hike to the peak at 900 metres is with a local guide only and starts in daylight about 5:00 p.m. The last stretch up and some parts coming down slope at 45 degrees so you need strong knees. You arrive at the top as darkness falls and spend about one hour hypnotized by the volcano's explosions about 500 metres away. To descend, you don headlights and walk down through volcanic sand and rock before reaching the steps. Arriving in town around 10:30 p.m., your hiking group heads straight to the main piazza bar patio to celebrate over most welcome cold beers under a sky covered in stars.

If you're a hiker, walker, food lover, photographer, swimmer, boater, nature lover, or relish lazing on beautiful beaches, your holiday for a few days on the magnificent island of Stromboli will make you want to return there soon.