Island of Vulcano
The island of Vulcano is the ancient Hierà, sacred. In Greek mythology, the island was the home of the wind god Aeolus. The Romans believed that the island served as the forge of the god Vulcan. Since the time of ancient Rome, the island has been a source of building materials – stone and wood, the island has mined sulfur and alum. Sulfur mining was the main occupation of the island’s inhabitants until the end of the 19th century. These were the main activities of the island until the 19th century.
After the unification of Italy in 1860, the British James Stephensen bought the northern part of the island and built a villa. He closed the development of sulfur and alum and planted vineyards on the fertile volcanic soils of the island. The grapes of the island were used to produce Malvasia wine. Stevenson lived on the island until the August 3, 1888 eruption (the last major eruption to date), which lasted nearly 2 years. During the eruption, Stevenson sold all of his properties on the island to the locals and never returned to the island. His villa has been preserved until today. Since then, the volcano hasn’t erupted anymore.
In the Porto Levante area there are the famous volcanic muds, used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases and some underwater fumaroles that make the water particularly hot in the surrounding area.
The Port is the center of the island of Vulcano. From there you can walk to the Vulcanello Peninsula and the Valle dei Mostri. The most famous beach is that of the Black Sands, which is also the only large sandy beach of the Aeolian Islands.
For hikers, the path to the Crater Fossa of the island of Vulcano is an absolutely unmissable route for its incomparable beauty. Starting from the port, in about 45 minutes you reach the summit of the volcano. Once you get to the Gran Cratere you can admire the field of fumaroles and, if you can bear the smell and have no breathing problems, you can go to one of the few points on the surface of the earth where you can see the sulfur drops. melted.
