Claudia's Italian Volcano Page.

Stromboli: a very nice volcano.
By Claudia

I think that volcanoes are very scary so, I couldn't believe it when I actually found myself right next to an erupting volcano in Italy last summer! 
The name of that volcano is Stromboli.

Did you know that Stromboli erupts several times during every hour of every day?  Every five or ten minutes, you will see an eruption and Stromboli has been doing this for about two thousand years!

I am rather sorry for Stromboli because he must feel very old and tired doing the same thing every day and night for the last two thousand years.  I watched him carefully and I would like to tell you what he does.


(Photo of Stromboli erupting.)

At the beginning of an eruption, first you see a puff of greyish black smoke coming out of the crater.  Sometimes you will hear a bang like thunder too.  Then you see lots of stones and ash falling down from the sky onto one side of the volcano.  Somehow, it is always the same side that the stones fall onto. 

If you are in a boat, you can go right up to the side of the volcano where the stones are rolling down because Stromboli is a volcano that rises out of the sea. 
        Mamma mia!

The side where all the stones roll down looks like smooth, black tracks.  Sometimes, there will even be red lava that flows down the tracks.  Italians call this side of Stromboli 'La Sciara del Fuoco' meaning 'the flow of fire.'


(Stromboli Eruption: photo taken in 1980 by Wolfgang Beyer.) 

At night, you can see trails of little lights moving up towards the crater.  What are these little lights?  Are they balls of fire?  Are they lava drops?  No!  They are the lights of torches carried by climbers.  At night, in the summer, there are groups of climbers who go up to the crater to have a good look at the red glow of lava in the dark.

I think that Stromboli is a very friendly volcano because he turns into a lighthouse at night.   In the darkness, you really can see his red glow and his sparks at the crater.  For centuries, sailors have used Stromboli as a very helpful lighthouse, even nowadays.

Stromboli is 'the oldest lighthouse in the world' and for that reason his Italian nickname is 'Il Faro', meaning 'the lighthouse.'

People live on the slopes of Stromboli, where the lava and stones do not fall! There are houses and shops and normal buildings.  There is also a harbour.

Even though I was covered in a lot of black dust, I would just like to say that I really enjoyed meeting Stromboli and that I like him very much.  I hope to see him again soon.

Ciao Stromboli!
Spero di rivederti presto!