Stromboli
924 m
Italy
Also known as Стромболи, Στρόμπολι, +4Also known as
Стромболи · Στρόμπολι · Estrómboli · isola di Stromboli · სტრომბოლი · I Vancori
- Elevation
- 924 m
- Prominence
- 924 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Sep–Oct
- Routes
- 2
Summit not accessible
The summit area is closed by civil-protection ordinance; walkers alone may go up to 290 m, guided groups to 400 m.
ilsicilia.it
AdvisoryReported 30 Jun 2025
The 'Natura' path, closed in May 2025 because of an unsafe section near the Vallonazzo stream, was reopened along its whole length by a mayoral ordinance issued on or just before 30 June 2025 (date from the press report).
giornaledilipari.itRegulationReported 5 May 2025
Lipari mayor's ordinance no. 16: unaccompanied walkers may go up to 290 m (previously 100 m) on the Stromboli side; guided groups up to 400 m; Ginostra side 130 m alone, 400 m with guides on the Punta Corvi path. Summit area remains closed.
ilsicilia.it
Routes
2The standard summit route from the village: about 900 m of ascent on a marked path up the north-east flank, ending on Pizzo Sopra la Fossa above the active craters. Access above 400 m has been banned since the 2019 paroxysms; when the summit was open it was only allowed with an authorised volcano guide.
This route ends at Quota limite senza guida (290 m), about 1.7 km from the summit, which is not accessible. Distance, ascent and times are to that point.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 3.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +394 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 401 m
- Time Up
- 1h 47m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 19m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Important: the summit area has been closed to all visitors since the paroxysmal eruptions of 2019. Under the Lipari mayor's ordinance of May 2025, walkers may go alone up to 290 m and with an authorised alpine or volcanological guide up to 400 m. The description below is the route as climbed before 2019, for reference if the ban is lifted. From the church square of San Vincenzo the path leads past the old cemetery towards the Sciara del Fuoco, then climbs a stepped path through cane and scrub to a small platform used as a rest stop. Above, it turns left and climbs a ridge (marked Serro d'a Mannarazza on old maps) to the Prima Rina, where loose black sand begins, then goes steeply west up the Liscione to the summit ridge at Pizzo Sopra la Fossa (about 918 m), roughly 200 m above the crater terrace. The true high point, I Vancori (about 924 m), lies a few hundred metres south-west on the old crater rim. Allow 2½–3 hours up from the village. Guided groups traditionally timed the ascent to reach the top at sunset, watched the explosions after dark and descended quickly by the Rina Grande, a long slope of volcanic sand, in about 1½ hours. The older line further north beside the Sciara del Fuoco was abandoned after the December 2002 landslide and tsunami and the April 2003 explosion; the present path on the east side was built afterwards. Gas, ash and ballistic blocks are the main hazards; numbers on the summit were capped when it was open.
Start
San Vincenzo36 m
- Hydrofoil or ferry from Milazzo to Stromboli (Scari) port, then 10 minutes on foot to San Vincenzo
Waypoints
- Trailhead: San Vincenzo36 m
- Waypoint: Quota limite senza guida (290 m)389 m
not on route line
- Waypoint: Quota limite senza guida (290 m)389 m
Summit not accessible beyond this point
Key Passages
- Old cemetery
- Prima Rina (start of the black sand)
- Liscione
- Pizzo Sopra la Fossa above the crater terrace
- Rina Grande descent
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The 'Lighthouse of the Mediterranean': a continuously erupting island volcano (926 m) in the Aeolian Islands, throwing glowing bombs every 10–30 minutes. The summit has been closed since 2019; guided evening walks to 400 m above the Sciara del Fuoco are the current way to watch it.
Stromboli is the emerged top of a volcano that rises more than 2,700 m from the sea floor north of Sicily. Its summit ridge, with Pizzo Sopra la Fossa and the high point I Vancori, overlooks a crater terrace at about 750 m where explosions of glowing scoria happen every few minutes to every half hour, the behaviour that gave 'Strombolian' eruptions their name. On the north-west side the Sciara del Fuoco, a huge collapse scar, channels lava and debris straight into the sea. The villages of San Vincenzo, Scari, Ficogrande and Piscità lie on the north-east coast; tiny Ginostra is on the south-west side.
For decades the evening ascent with a volcano guide to watch the explosions from Pizzo Sopra la Fossa was one of the classic walks of southern Italy: about 900 m of ascent on sand and scree, a sunset at the top and a fast descent down the Rina Grande. After the paroxysms of July and August 2019 the summit area was closed, and it remained closed in 2026. Walkers may now go alone to 290 m and with an authorised guide to 400 m, from where the craters are about 350–400 m away in a straight line.
Limits are set by ordinances of the mayor of Lipari and change with the civil protection alert level: in 2024 an orange alert briefly cut guided trips to 290 m. The 400 m walk is still a memorable outing, best seen at dusk; watching the Sciara del Fuoco from a boat at night is the other popular option.
Climbing Notes
Under current rules this is a guided evening walk rather than a climb. The 400 m outing needs only normal hiking fitness (about 400 m of ascent, 4–5 hours including the stop), sturdy shoes and a headlamp; guides supply helmets and, where required, masks, and boots can be hired in the village. Book with one of the authorised alpine or volcanological guide offices in San Vincenzo, especially in summer.
The walk finishes after the last hydrofoil, so stay at least one night on the island. Day trips by boat from Lipari, Vulcano or Milazzo usually combine a short village visit with a night-time cruise below the Sciara del Fuoco instead of the walk.
If the summit reopens, expect 900 m of ascent on loose sand and scree, 2½–3 hours up and 1½ hours down at night, and a guide requirement. Check the current ordinance (Comune di Lipari, or the archive of INGV's Centro Monitoraggio Eolie) and the civil protection alert level before travelling; limits have changed within a day after eruptive episodes.
History
Stromboli has erupted almost continuously for at least 2,000 years. Its last major eruption, on 11 September 1930, killed six people. Effusive eruptions in 2002–2003 included a landslide on the Sciara del Fuoco that caused a tsunami on 30 December 2002, followed by a major explosion on 5 April 2003; the old summit path along the Sciara was abandoned and a new path built on the east flank. Further effusive phases followed in 2007 and 2013–2014. On 3 July 2019 two paroxysmal explosions killed a hiker near the summit, and on 28 August 2019 a pyroclastic flow ran into the sea; the summit has been closed to visitors since. Lava overflows onto the Sciara del Fuoco in summer 2024 led civil protection to raise the alert level to orange for a period; it was back at yellow in 2026. The island featured in Roberto Rossellini's 1950 film 'Stromboli' with Ingrid Bergman, whose house in San Vincenzo is marked in the village.
Season
Best Sep–Oct- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best
- June: Good
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Best (best window)
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Fewer boats and many guide offices closed; windy
- Feb
- Fewer boats; rough seas can cancel hydrofoils
- Mar
- Guided trips restart around mid-March
- Apr
- Mild temperatures, quieter island
- May
- Pleasant temperatures; good visibility
- Jun
- Warm; busy from late June
- Jul
- Hot and crowded; walks start late afternoon
- Aug
- Peak season; book guides and rooms well ahead
- Sep
- Warm sea, fewer people
- Oct
- Mild; guided trips usually run until the end of October
- Nov
- Off season; limited services
- Dec
- Off season; limited boats and services
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Authorised guide above 290 mRequired
Under Lipari mayor's ordinance no. 16 of 5 May 2025, walkers may go unaccompanied up to 290 m on the Stromboli side (Strada vicinale Parroco and Mulattiera Salvatore di Losa) and up to 130 m on the Ginostra side; above that, and up to the 400 m limit, only with authorised alpine or volcanological guides. The summit area above 400 m is closed.
cme.ingv.it
- Fees
- Guided 400 m sunset walk: about EUR 30–45 per person (2025–2026 operator prices), usually including helmet and insurance
- Rules
- Summit area closed to all visitors since the 2019 paroxysms
- Altitude limits depend on the civil protection alert level and can be lowered or access banned at short notice by ordinance of the mayor of Lipari
- Helmet and dust mask required above 290 m on guided walks; participants sign a risk waiver
- Camping is not allowed on the island
- A siren early-warning system on the island includes an alert for people on the trails; civil protection notes that paroxysmal explosions can throw blocks several kilometres from the craters
- Getting There
Stromboli (San Vincenzo / Scari), a frazione of Lipari
Catania Fontanarossa (CTA)
- Liberty Lines and Siremar hydrofoils, and Siremar / NGI ferries, from Milazzo to Stromboli (Scari) and Ginostra
- Buses from Catania airport to Milazzo port (Giuntabus), connecting with hydrofoils
- No cars for visitors on the island; the village is reached on foot or by electric taxi from the port
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Exposure
- Volcanic activity