My travels in 2009 included a mid-October stay on Stromboli, a short visit to Lipari. and seeing several other of the southern Italian volcanoes during the ferry crossings. Stromboli is one of the Aeolian Islands. The island is about 2 km in diameter and 900 m above sea level but it rises 3,000 m above the floor of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Here you will see some pictures of Stromboli.

Very interesting to live on a live volcano for a while. The local name for it is Iddu and it only rumbled on Sundays while I was there. It also threw out a mighty lot of ash. Clean washing is not expected on those days!

Tourism is now the main activity for the islanders. There is a semi-tropical feel to the place with volcano walks and boat rides to see the active side the main attraction. A local delicacy is capers and although I went in October at the end of the season the restaurants produced great pizza and fine seafood meals.

If you want to experience this part of Planet Earth, check out the Amazon link for guide books, Italian dictionaries, travel accessories and cook books for the region.