Vulcano

Wow! The volcano delivers.

I did not expect to see such an active volcano.

After breakfast( which was discreetly served on our private terrace I’ll have you know, no having to rub shoulders with other guests)

We (literally) hot footed it up to the top of Vulcano.

Dressed in our walking gear and carrying rucksacks full of items for every weather eventuality, we passed Italian and French tourists whose only nod to the difficulty of the hike was to wear espadrilles instead of flip flops. And they were much older than us! Hats off to them, they were amazing.

We could smell sulphur in the air before we saw the vents (or fumeroles) emitting stinking gases. I could not believe how many there were of them and the amount of gas that was visible.

We walked through the smoking fumeroles surrounding the huge crater and I could feel the sulphur hitting my lungs and throat. The ground was very hot and yellow. I couldn’t believe we could do this, that EU health and safety laws hadn’t put an end to the general public stomping about in poisonous substances. Won’t be long!

After tolerating the acrid steam long enough to take numerous photos, we walked to the very top of Vulcano where there were fab views of most of the aeolian islands.

By the time we had finished, it was lunch time so we had a quick bite to eat at our B and B (Casa Acada , thoroughly recommend it) then off again to wander round our local area.

Unfortunately, when the rich build their villas in beautiful places, they erect fences, walls and all manner of things to ensure they keep the spectacular views and sea access to themselves. It pisses me off no end – thank goodness in the UK we have strict rules re public access and the right to roam. Unfortunately for the Sicillians, they don’t have such rights so we were thwarted in our attempts to see the various scenic viewpoints.

Never mind, there was always the volcano to ascend again. This time we went to see the sunset and observe the volcano in the evening light. It looks fantastic by the way. It was also nice to see other volcano nerds doing the same thing.

After a much needed shower, it was time to eat and drink.

Tomorrow it’s Stromboli. This volcano does erupt, spewing lava into the sky. However it is irregular and there’s no guarantees we’ll see anything. It’s almost too much to ask but I’ve got everything crossed!