We didn't see Stromboli at night! While on a mooring at Isola Panarea, in sight of Stromboli, we saw a weather window with relatively gentle southerlies to take us up to Capri and the Gulf of Naples. We dinghied into Panarea and explored this gorgeous little community. No cars on the island, only three wheelers, golf carts and motor cycles! Even the police car is an electric golf cart!!
Much of it has been rebuilt and it was hard to imagine that historical remains from the Mycenaean era have been uncovered there, but as we rambled along the narrow alleyways we could understand why people have found the island to be an oasis in direct contact with nature. In fact, it is quite a chic group of tourists who vacation in Panarea and because of the UNESCO listing for the Aeolian Islands, there is restriction on the number of houses allowed to be built there and the style of architecture.
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You can just see Kinabalu on the mooring in the bay with cone shaped Stromboli in the background. We loved the timber work on this local fishing vessel.
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We changed course to linger a while on the north western side of Stromboli. There was a small community on the lower slopes as we approached.....but otherwise no habitation on this side of the island, just sheer rock and lava flow. The pent up gases on Stromboli are let off with random constancy, unlike Etna which is always a surprise. We were disappointed not to see sparks and flame but saw spurts of smoke and rocks tumble into the sea. I wrote a story for our grandkids with lots of internet photos and some of our own. When I find out how to attach a powerpoint or pdf document to this blog, I can share it with everyone. "Captain John and the Island of Fire" is all about pirates of course sailing to Stromboi to find treasure in one of the caves!! A couple of the photos below were edited for the story!
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