Gran Cratere di Vulcano Trail

I get on the hydrofoil, put my backpack on the seat next to me and watch the world outside the porthole change appearance as I move away from the coast. In the middle of the sea, imposing mountains emerge: Vulcano is one of them. As soon as I get off, the smell of sulfur welcomes me, a tangible sign that this mountain-island is alive. While I have breakfast, I look at the two itineraries of the day on the map together with Massimo, the volcanological guide who will accompany me on this trip. In the morning we will go up Vulcano, then we will move on to Stromboli. We cross the village and head towards the volcano. The ascent route is clearly visible to the naked eye on the slope. Once we reach the start of the path, we check the traffic light: it is green, CO2 emissions are normal, we can continue! The climb is always regular and does not present particular difficulties. Along the way it is not difficult to come across goats busy grazing on the bushes. The most sensational aspect, however, are the breathtaking views of the other Aeolian islands: a real spectacle! Once we reach the top, we walk along the perimeter of the caldera to reach the highest point: what an incredible emotion! The view from here is majestic! Just enough time to take a few photographs, then we return to the port.

When we arrived early on Vulcano, the traffic light that allowed us to climb up to the crater was still green 😅. So we could get going 🥾. The smell of sulphur is omnipresent. But today there was also a wonderful wind blowing on the first summit, so the climb went quickly and without any problems. The crater itself has been closed for a while due to the poisonous gases. And at the end of the path, the blue shoes were dusty grey. And the calves were black...

Today the hike to the crater on Vulcano was overcast but warm and dry. The first time is always an experience. The sulfur fumes are tolerable. The transformation of gray lava sand into reddish structureless stone is great. The rain washes fantastic canyons into the mountain. It is easy to walk up on the crater rim. The views of the sulfur plumes and the surrounding islands are magnificent. After the descent, an ice cream and a coffee - Bella Italia

Great hike on the Gran Cratere We take a small boat from the small harbor in Lipari to the neighboring island of Vulcano in about 20 minutes. The sea is calm and we are even allowed to climb onto the deck. Today the visibility is great, so we keep seeing the other Aeolian Islands and Stromboli. We start our hike at around 9.30 a.m. The first part we walk along the island road before the actual climb up the volcano begins. You can only start the climb when the traffic light is green. First we hike over overgrown terrain, later over dark lava ash and then over reddish-brown rock. The temperature is just about pleasant. The views of the other islands, Vulcanello and of course the neighboring island of Lipari are magnificent. Sicily is also clearly visible today. We soon reach the crater rim. This is also announced by a penetrating smell of sulfur (smells like rotten eggs). The circular hell's mouth extends for about 500 m, in which there is another smaller crater from the last eruption phase of 1888-1890. Mighty mighty! We continue hiking along the crater rim to the highest point on the crater rim at 391 m. We hike back the same way. We stroll through the small touristy town, enjoy a panini and take a short swim. The beach is made of dark lava sand. But the sea bubbles a little here too. A really great hike. Up at the crater rim it is almost mystical.

From the port on Vucano, you can climb directly to the crater rim. The smell of rotten eggs is in the air. At the crater rim, you have an impressive view of the Fumerole and the Aeolian Islands.

I was very impressed by the view into the volcanic crater, as is easy to see from the many pictures 🤣. Unfortunately, I only had an hour and 40 minutes on Vulcano, so I couldn't take as much time as I would have liked. Quite the opposite: the climb was quick and nonstop 🥵, and I had to jog down to avoid missing the boat. Currently, you're not allowed to walk all the way around the crater because of the rising sulfur fumes. The boat tour was very turbulent, but luckily I seem to be seaworthy 🤮. I would have loved to go on a hike on Lipari as well. I definitely want to go back there with more time. I did a few great hikes with a hiking guide in Calabria. However, since they often led over private property, I can't publish them, or the owners will withdraw their permission. A cliff-top hike, similar to the one in the Rother hiking guide, is coming soon. 🥾🌊☀️

Trekking Aeolian Islands with Cai Bergamo, fifth day, morning Today we climbed up to the crater of the Fossa Volcano to see the fumaroles up close, since we have been seeing them from afar for a few days. The most beautiful thing in my opinion is that from here the view extends over all seven Aeolian Islands. Lunch with a sandwich on the Spiaggia Nera, with dark sand from the lava stones, which with the clear and crystalline sea water forms a truly suggestive contrast. The first photo is a "bread crust bomb", formed with eruptive material composed of a compact and intensely fractured external "peel" and a spongy internal portion visible inside the fractures.

We took a small boat from Lipari to the Porto di Ponente in Vulcano. From there we climbed the Gran Cratere on foot. After the descent I met my wife for lunch at the Porto di Levante.