The island of Stromboli houses one of three active volcanoes in Italy. But there's more to the story than that...
Due to its spectacular incandescent night-time explosions, that have long attracted visitors from all over the world and brought the volcano the nickname the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.
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| photo credit Bruno Tardioli |
It erupts every 15 to 20 minutes and it's been doing that for the past 2,000 years - mild but regular activity.
On occasion - three times in the last 100 years - there have been much larger (and violent) explosions, the last of which occurred in 2003. These eruptions were large enough to take the lives of inhabitants of the island, and to destroy much of the villages there. The volcano was closed to tourists for two years afterwards, and just re-opened in 2005. Though such large eruptions are pretty rare, visitors experience Stromboli at their own risk. Geologists are frequent regulars at the island, as the mini volcano provides important information on how volcanoes work.
There are several different tours which take visitors on a hike up the volcano to the top, where by law, visitors are allowed to remain only for one hour. The hike up the volcano is roughly 3 hours, rigorous and should not be underestimated. While the volcano can easily be viewed from the deck of a passing cruise ship, the best land tours are the ones that leave at sunset, as Stomboli is at its most magnificent seen against the night sky. The hike down is in complete darkness, so bring a flash light or risk barking your shin.
Due to its spectacular incandescent night-time explosions, that have long attracted visitors from all over the world and brought the volcano the nickname the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.
[sources: Atlas Obsucra & Volcano Discovery]
#passive #present perfect continuous
