Stromboli

view August 1997, family vacation in Stromboli.

Stromboli is a small island of volcanic origin off the coast of Calabria, Italy, which is part of the Aeolian Islands. The island is basically an active volcano which is still smoking and emitting lava, a wonderful spectacle at night. volcano

There are five islands in total: Lipari, Salina, Vulcano, Stromboli, Alicudi and Filicudi. You might know more about these islands than you think. Remember the movie Il Postino? Part of it was shot in Salina. Lipari is where singer Natalie Imbruglia's ancestors originally came from. In fact, most of the original population emigrated in the 1900s to Australia, New Zealand and America. Very few people live on the islands year round but the population increases tremendously in the summer.

If you like gazing at the stars, I've never seen so many anywhere else in the world, not even in Polynesia. While we were there I saw about five shooting stars each night without even looking for them. The thing is, there are no streetlights at night so everything is pitch black. It is essential to pack a flashlight, as it is the only thing that will enable you to get back to your accommodation at night.

There are no cars on the island because the roads are too narrow. The only form of collective transport is the Ape, a kind of small truck which isn't even manufactured in Italy any longer. However, you can reach everything on foot, although you need good legs because the island is all up- and downhill.

It is advisable to book accommodation well ahead of time, because places are few and fill up fast. Be aware of the fact that it is not cheap, as it is a highly sought-after holiday destination for Italians.

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Gabriella C. Marino
gcmarino@iol.it