Stromboli (pronounced Strom-bo-lee, stress on the first syllable) is a 924-metre volcano rising straight out of the Tyrrhenian, erupting every 10 to 20 minutes, and has done so continuously for about 2,000 years. Population 400. Two villages, San Vincenzo (the main one) and Ginostra (five houses, mule-access only). This is not a beach holiday.
Three stays we would book again.
Hotel La Sirenetta Park, San Vincenzo
Ash-stone bungalows facing the Strombolicchio sea stack, saltwater pool that hides the sound of the ferry siren. The oldest family-run hotel on the island; ask for a room in the lower terrace closer to the black-sand beach.
€180–€380 / night
USD 195–415 · June to September
La Locanda del Barbablù, Piazza San Vincenzo
Six rooms above one of the island’s better restaurants, on the main village square. Terrace tables face the volcano; ask for room 5 (rooftop, private). Book dinner when you book the room.
€160–€300 / night
USD 175–325 · six-room village inn
Casa del Sole, Piscità
Simple guesthouse at the north end of Piscità, ten minutes from the volcano-access track. Shared kitchen, communal terrace, popular with hikers doing the sunset viewpoint at 400 metres.
€90–€170 / night
USD 100–185 · guesthouse at the trailhead
Three practicalities that catch first-timers.
- Ferry: Milazzo not Naples in shoulder season. Milazzo (Sicily north coast) to Stromboli: Liberty Lines aliscafo 2 hours 30 minutes at around €38, two departures a day summer. Naples to Stromboli is seasonal only (Snav, 6 hours, from around €80). Trains to Milazzo Marittima connect from Palermo (2h 40) and Catania (2h).
- The 924-metre summit hike is guide-only above 400 metres. Since the 2019 eruption the summit crater access is capped at 400 metres unless you go with a Magmatrek or Stromboli Adventures guide (around €35 per person, three hours up, one down). The 400-metre viewpoint at sunset is a legal, cheap alternative.
- Sciara del Fuoco is best from a boat. The ‘stream of fire’ side of the volcano faces the sea, not the village. Book the sunset boat tour from San Vincenzo (around €30, two hours) and you watch the incandescent rockfalls hit the water as the sun drops. Better than the summit for anyone under-fit.