I stayed with my kids on an active volcanic island in Italy. It was the best trip of our lives.
The sand around the island is black due to the island's active volcano.
We took a boat out to see the volcano erupt at night.
When my husband said we were staying on an active volcano, I thought he was joking. I had left this portion of the planning for our trip to Sicily to him, so I was totally clueless as to where we were going when we boarded the ferry.
Three hours later, I could see smoke atop our destination. It was indeed a volcano — and it was indeed active. It was our best vacation ever.
We stayed in Stromboli
We decided to plan a family trip of just over two weeks to explore as much as we could, and one of the places people told us we had to go was the Aeolian Islands. Despite having a Sicilian family, I had never been to Stromboli, which is one of the seven Aeolian Islands off the north coast of Sicily.
My husband was thrilled by the idea of staying in Stromboli, the furthest island and an active volcano.
When we arrived, our Airbnb host was waiting for us on a tuk-tuk to carry us and our luggage to our house. There are no cars on the island, and some hosts and hotels offer golf carts and auto-rickshaws to move people around.
Our kids, who are 7, 5, and 5, were thrilled during our ride, and I was absolutely amazed by the views.
The sand is black
The house we rented had access to a small beach. My kids gasped when they saw the sand was black from volcanic activity. They quickly changed, and we all went down to explore the beach.
Like many beaches in Sicily, this one had few sandy spots and was mostly rocky. There was also a ton of sea glass, which kept my kids entertained for hours while they collected different colors.
I noticed the water was significantly warmer than in Taormina, where we had been before. Days later, a guide explained that it was due to the volcano's hydrothermal activity.
We took a boat to see the eruptions
On one side of the island, you can find houses, restaurants, the port, and a church. On the other side, you have the Sciara del Fuocco, where you can see the volcano erupt every 15 minutes or so at night.
Several hiking companies offer tours to explore the volcano, taking you up to 400 meters from the erupting area. Because our kids are little and the hike is hours long, we decided to take a boat instead and watch the eruptions from the sea.
We went at dusk since it's better to see the lava when it's dark out. I figured we'd just see some splutter and smoke, but I was astonished as we watched full-on eruptions that trickled lava back into the ocean.
Ships bring water to the island
On our first night at Stromboli, I was surprised to see a huge tanker ship parking right in front of our house. The kids and I all watched in amazement as the ship dropped its anchor, and we heard it thud against the bottom of the sea.
We learned that Stromboli, like the other Aeolian Islands, requires tanker ships to supply water. The ships arrive regularly and deliver freshwater.
It was our favorite vacation ever
Between the excitement of being on an active volcano, the black sand, and the perfectly warm water, Stromboli was a total hit for my family.
We explored the island on foot, visiting a stunning church and many beautiful shops (I even bought myself a volcanic rock ring), eating gelato, and mingling with the locals.
My kids spent time petting all the stray cats, finding treasures in the rocks, and floating in the sea.
Before we even boarded the ferry back to Sicily, we were already talking about when we would be coming back to Stromboli.
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