island
Stromboli
The only Aeolian volcano in permanent activity: the evening climb to the viewpoints is the most memorable excursion in the archipelago.
- The volcano climb
- Sciara del Fuoco
- Ginostra
«Iddu»
On the island they call it that — «him» — the way you refer to someone you respect. Stromboli has been in permanent activity for at least two thousand years: every few minutes an explosion leaves the summit craters. It is the only volcano on earth whose behaviour is regular enough to have named a type of eruption used across volcanology: strombolian.
The Sciara del Fuoco
It's the black scar running from the crater down to the sea on the north-west flank: a wall of debris down which incandescent blocks tumble. At night, from the water, you watch the red trails descend and go out in the sea. Sunset boat trips to see the Sciara are the alternative to climbing — and for many, more impressive.
The village and Ginostra
San Vincenzo and Scari form the main settlement: white houses, narrow lanes, almost no cars, black sand beaches like Ficogrande, facing the stack of Strombolicchio — what remains of a volcanic neck older than the island itself, with a lighthouse on top and a staircase of a hundred and fifty-two steps to reach it. On the far side, unreachable by land, lies Ginostra: some thirty inhabitants, mule tracks instead of roads, and one of the smallest harbours in the world.
Before you go
Access rules for the volcano change with INGV's alert level and must be checked each time. Bring a torch: outside the centre there is minimal street lighting, and you walk back from the climb in the dark. Current altitude limits and rules →
Trails on Stromboli
Beaches
From the guide
- Sleep on the Aeolians, or on the coast?Guide
It's the question that decides the holiday, and almost nobody asks it before booking. There is no right answer for everyone: there is a right answer for what you came to do.
- The films shot in the Aeolian IslandsGuide
In 1949 two crews filmed simultaneously in the same archipelago, over a love affair gone wrong. Then Antonioni, Troisi, Moretti and, last year, Christopher Nolan. Where they filmed, and what you can see.
- Illustrious guests: who has passed through Capo d'OrlandoGuide
Not a list of celebrities spotted at the bar. Here, in a villa three kilometres from the corso, Tomasi di Lampedusa wrote part of The Leopard — and on these islands Rossellini, Troisi and Moretti all shot films.
- Which Aeolian island to chooseGuide
Seven islands, and they are not interchangeable. Choose badly and you'll end up on Alicudi looking for a restaurant, or on Panarea in August looking for silence. For each one: who it suits, how long you need, and what not to expect.
- The Aeolian Islands in a day from Capo d'OrlandoGuide
The Aeolians are the reason many people choose this coast. Day trips work — provided you pick the right island and the right timetable.
- A weekend in the Aeolians: making it all fitGuide
Two nights are enough for a real taste of the archipelago — if you pick one base and don't chase everything.
FAQ about Stromboli
How high can you climb on Stromboli?
The summit has been closed since 2019. Free access reaches 290 metres; from there to the 400-metre viewpoint you climb only with authorised alpine or volcanological guides. The limits change by ordinance with the alert level: always check INGV bulletins before setting out.
Stay in Capo d'Orlando
A base in the centre — and everything else becomes a day trip.
The port for the Aeolians is 45 minutes away, the Nebrodi right behind. Breakfast served early for dawn departures.
Direct booking, no intermediaries · See the rooftop →