Stromboli is a small island, a vulcano and part of the Aeolian Islands.

Stromboli is located just north of Sicily in the mediterrean sea not far from the vulcano Etna (another World Heritage Site). You can't take your car with you to the islands, you will have to leave your (rental) car in the dedicated parking spaces in the port of Milazzo.  Boats run frequently to the islands and the longest trip will take you to the island of Stromboli.  Stromboli is also a working vulcano with regular eruptions every 20 minutes.

Upon landing on Stromboli you will find the 3-wheeled scooters which are the only form of motorized transport on the island. We had a reservation for one the hotels on the island and we took a taxi/scooter to the hotel.  I had also booked a trip to the top of Stromboli for the same evening. 

After having bought some extra water and energetic candy bars for the evening trip I went up to the office of Magmatrek, they organize the guided trips to the top. With a guide and a group of about 30 we went up the slope, from sea level to 900 meters high! It is advised to make advance reservations and to only join the trip if you are fit enough. Indeed some of the group couldn't cope with the effort and they had to go back.

The climb is very steep and heavy but the views and the experience are really breathtaking. Just before we reached the top we received some extra information from our guide how to cope with the volcanic eruptions and what to do if the eruption would be more than the standard (safe) eruption. We reached the top in full darkness and it got colder and colder, so it is advised to take some extra clothes with you. 

The view over the vulcano is super, you will reach a height of about 900 meters and the vulcano crater is at approximately 700 meter, so you are looking down into the crater.  To see a vulcano eruption from so close is breathtaking and it really forces respect to nature. The regular eruptions can be watched closely and I would say it will go to about 800 meters. You can really appreciate the red/yellow eruptions and hear the wooosh sound and explosions in the full darkness of the night.  After having seen two/three eruptions we had to go down another slope back to the small village. We took a less steeper decent through loose lava, I was glad to bring a light with me.

Having seen a working vulcano from so close is something that still impresses me. 

Another possibility to see the vulcano is by boat and watch the eruption from the see.  Of course this is much less of an effort but the views are also much less as the crater can't be seen from the see.

The other day on our way back to Milazzo we also visited the island of Vulcano, took a sulfur mud bath and climbed to the top of Vulcano, another (non active) vulcano in the area, with great views over the Aeolian Islands.