Vulcano
389 m
Italy
Also known as Вулкано, Βουλκάνο, +5Also known as
Вулкано · Βουλκάνο · Isla Vulcano · isola di Vulcano · ვულკანო · Вулькано · Vurcanu
- Elevation
- 389 m
- Prominence
- 228 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Mar–May
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 31 Aug 2025
In August 2025 the mayor banned overnight stays in a house in the Piano Baracca area after INGV measured rapidly rising carbon dioxide; the authorities said the existing crater access rules did not need to change.
messina.gds.itRegulationReported 23 Apr 2023
Crater access reopened on 24 April 2023 under Lipari mayoral ordinance no. 17 (23 April 2023), after a ban in force since October 2021: traffic-light controlled access, fixed hours, no solo walking and a mandatory marked path. INGV still lists it as the latest crater ordinance.
cme.ingv.it
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 1 check note
- unresolved waypoints: Gran Cratere trailhead, Helipad on the north rim
Sources differ: E (CAI) (appenninista.it)
The only regular hike on Vulcano: from the ferry port a short road walk leads to a wide path that zigzags up black sand and tuff to the north rim of La Fossa, then round the rim past steaming fumaroles to its 389 m high point. About 390 m of ascent, 1¼–1½ hours up. Access is regulated by a Lipari mayoral ordinance and a traffic light at the trailhead.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 3.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +387 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 389 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 1h 42m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 1h 13m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the hydrofoil and ferry quay at Porto di Levante, walk south on the SP179 towards Il Piano for a little over 1 km. The path starts on the left at about 36 m, at signs warning of fumarole gases and, since 2023, at a traffic light controlled by the Comune di Lipari: green means the climb is permitted, red or unlit means the trail is closed. A wide path climbs in long diagonals through scrub, then over black volcanic sand and reddish tuff, crosses a stony, nearly flat shoulder and reaches the north rim of the crater at a helipad at about 280 m. From the rim the usual walk goes anticlockwise past large lava bombs along a broad, panoramic and almost level stretch to the high point at 389 m, with views over the crater floor and north to Lipari, Salina and the other Aeolian islands. The fumarole field on the north-eastern rim emits gases above 300 °C that are acidic and irritate the airways: keep to the path, do not linger in the plume and never descend into the crater, where carbon dioxide can collect. The 2023 reopening used a marked line that bypasses the most active emission area; leaving the mapped path is forbidden. The climb takes 1¼–1½ hours and the descent 1–1¼ hours by the same path or a steeper, stony zigzag that skirts the fumaroles. In summer, ordinance hours (06:30–10:30 and 16:00–19:30 from 1 April to 20 October) keep walkers off the cone in the midday heat; dawn and sunset are the usual times. Solo walking is not permitted. There is no shade or water on the cone.
Start
Vulcano Porto1 m
- Hydrofoils and ferries from Milazzo and from Lipari to Vulcano Porto; the trailhead is a 15-minute walk from the quay.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vulcano Porto → Gran Cratere | 3.3 | 387 | 0 | 1h 42m |
Waypoints
- Station: Vulcano Porto1 m
Hydrofoil and ferry quay at Porto di Levante
- Summit: Gran Cratere389 m
Key Passages
- Trailhead traffic light on the SP179
- Black sand zigzags on the north flank
- Helipad on the north rim
- Fumarole field on the rim
- High point of the rim (389 m)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The active Fossa cone on Vulcano, southernmost of the Aeolian Islands: an hour's climb from the ferry quay to a steaming crater rim at 389 m, with sulphur fumaroles underfoot and the whole archipelago in view. Access is regulated by municipal ordinance because of volcanic gas.
Vulcano is the island that gave its name to volcanoes: the Romans believed it was the chimney of Vulcan's forge. Its active centre is the Fossa cone, which rises directly behind the port of Porto di Levante; the Gran Cratere at its top has a rim reaching 389 m on its southern side. The island's overall highest point, Monte Aria (501 m), is an old cone on the southern plateau and is rarely climbed.
The last eruption, from August 1888 to March 1890, threw out blocks and bombs that still lie on the rim, and the fumaroles on the north-eastern edge are very hot, with gas above 300 °C depositing yellow sulphur. The walk is short and easy underfoot, and the reward is a crater rim with views to Lipari, Salina and the other Aeolian islands.
The hazard is gas, not terrain. A hydrothermal crisis from autumn 2021 closed the crater for about 18 months; the climb reopened on 24 April 2023 under strict rules (access traffic light, fixed hours, no solo walking, a marked path that bypasses the main emission zone). The alert level returned to green in December 2023, but INGV warns that phreatic explosions and gas build-ups can occur without warning even at green, and strong gas emissions were reported again in October 2025.
Climbing Notes
Any reasonably fit walker can do it: allow 2½–3 hours return from the port. Go at dawn or in the evening slot set by the ordinance (in summer the cone is closed to walkers from 10:30 to 16:00) and carry plenty of water, as there is no shade. Check that the trailhead traffic light is green, walk with at least one companion and stay on the marked path. People with asthma or heart or lung conditions should be cautious near the fumaroles, as the gases are hot and acidic; never enter the crater floor or hollows where carbon dioxide can pool. Combine the climb with the island's black-sand beaches; the thermal mud pool (Pozza dei Fanghi) near the port has its own access rules.
History
The Greeks called the island Thermessa and placed a forge of Hephaestus here; the Romans named it after Vulcan. The first documented ascent of the cone was by the Dominican friar Burchard of Mount Sion, probably in 1284, who climbed it 'crawling on his hands and feet'. The 1888–90 eruption of La Fossa, documented by Giuseppe Mercalli, gave its name to the Vulcanian eruption style. In autumn 2021 Italy's Civil Protection raised the alert to yellow after a hydrothermal crisis; Lipari's mayor first regulated and then, on 14 October 2021, banned access to the crater, and about 150 people were evacuated from the harbour area in November 2021 because of volcanic gases. The climb reopened in April 2023 and the alert returned to green in December 2023.
Season
Best Mar–May- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Good
- Jan
- Mild; winter hours 07:30–16:30; reduced ferry timetable
- Feb
- Mild; winter hours 07:30–16:30
- Mar
- Cool, clear days
- Apr
- Summer hours from 1 April (06:30–10:30 and 16:00–19:30)
- Jun
- Hot; climb early or late
- Jul
- Very hot and crowded; dawn or evening slot only
- Aug
- Very hot and crowded; dawn or evening slot only
- Sep
- Still hot; fewer visitors later in the month
- Oct
- Winter hours from 21 October
- Nov
- Rain and wind possible; ferries may be cancelled in rough seas
- Dec
- Rain and wind possible; reduced ferries
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Access to the crater is regulated by Lipari mayoral ordinance no. 17 of 23 April 2023: the climb is allowed only when the automatic traffic light at the trailhead is green (red or unlit = closed); permitted hours are 06:30–10:30 and 16:00–19:30 from 1 April to 20 October and 07:30–16:30 from 21 October to 31 March
- Solo ascents are not allowed: walk with at least one other person
- Leaving the mapped trail, entering the crater or stopping off the path is forbidden; the trailhead is under video surveillance
- The mayor can close the crater at short notice if gas emissions rise; check the Comune di Lipari and INGV (cme.ingv.it) before going
- Getting There
Lipari
Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)
- Hydrofoil or ferry from Milazzo to Vulcano Porto (Porto di Levante), or a short hop from Lipari
- Milazzo is reached by bus from Catania airport or Messina; cars are not needed on the island
- Trailhead: walk south on the SP179 for about 1 km from the port
Hazards
- Volcanic activity