Vulcano Island Italy

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Greetings from the Island of Vulcano. The most visited of the Aeolian Islands. Rich Italians from the mainland have erected fancy villas here as second homes. Vulcano has the best Black Sand Beach in he Aeolian Islands. The Sulfurous rotten egg smell hits you upon pulling into the port. The Grand Crater with its plume of vapor is a reminder of its silent power. Subterranean activity is monitored around he clock. There are intense red and orange iron and aluminum sulphates that leak out of the ground, yet this is considered the most exclusive of the Aeolian Islands. Tourists flop into a thick soup of foul smelling sulfurous mud, caking every inch of their bodies. It is supposed to be a miracle cure for skin and arthritic conditions. Yet radioactive mud limits one to just 10 minutes of being in the goop. To wash off, you hobble over to the ocean to wash off, where the sea bubbles up like a hot tub! Even though geologists forecast an eruption within the next 20 years, and the volcano is in the smoking phase of its life, a hike to the top of the crater is what tourists do here. It was a miserable tough hike to the top of the crater and the craters edge, with constant reminders not to lie down or sit down as poisonous gasses tend to accumulate close to the ground. It was here that I thought I would die standing up as I could not even rest and this would be my final resting place. OHY. At the rim you peer down into the mammoth crater itself. The steam is tainted with numerous toxins so don't hang out there to long! The hike rewarded us with incredible views of the Island, the sea, the Aeolian Islands and the Volcanic Craters landscape. It was a very rewarding hike but yet very alarming thinking the Volcano could erupt at any moment! The Islands topography, smell, experience and sunsets were unforgettable. This is not the Island to order deviled eggs. LOL Enjoy some pictures.