An important note from Claudia: In 2019, Stromboli was more active than usual and there were some big eruptions!
Stromboli
Un Vulcano Simpatico - A Friendly Volcano
by Claudia
Worksheet
I think that volcanoes are very frightening so I couldn't believe it when I actually found myself right next to an erupting volcano in Italy last summer! The name of that volcano is Stromboli.
Stromboli is one of the Aeolian Islands - le Isole Eolie - in an area of the Mediterranean Sea called the Tyrrhenian Sea - il Mar Tirreno. These islands belong to the Italian region of Sicily.
On one side of the volcano, where all the stones roll down, you see smooth, black tracks. Sometimes, there will even be a stream of red lava that flows down the tracks. Italians call this side of Stromboli - La Sciara del Fuoco - meaning 'the flow of fire.'
At night, you can see trails of little lights moving up towards the crater. What are these little lights? Are they balls of fire? Are they lava drops? No! They are the lights of torches carried by climbers. At night, there are groups of climbers who go up to the crater to have a good look at the red glow of lava in the dark.
I think that Stromboli is a very friendly volcano because he turns into a lighthouse at night. In the darkness, you can really see his red glow and his sparks at the crater. For centuries, sailors have used Stromboli as a very helpful lighthouse, even nowadays.
Stromboli is 'the oldest lighthouse in the world' and for that reason his Italian nickname is il Faro, meaning 'the lighthouse.'
People live on the slopes of Stromboli, where the lava and stones do not fall! There are houses and shops and normal buildings. There is also a harbour.
Even though I was covered in a lot of black dust, I would just like to say that I really enjoyed meeting Stromboli and that I like him very much. I hope to see him again soon.
Ciao Stromboli!
Spero di rivederti presto!
Elenco di Vocaboli
Claudia's Italian Vocabulary List:
the volcano - il vulcano
the fire - il fuoco
the eruption - l'eruzione
red - rosso
the smoke - il fumo
the crater - il cratere
the lava - la lava
the lighthouse - il faro
scary - spaventoso
big - grande
black - nero
grey - grigio
the harbour - il porto
the sea - il mare
volcanic ash - le ceneri vulcaniche
Italian Adventures Page
Go to Claudia's story about Etna
Did you know that Stromboli erupts many times during every hour of every day? Every five or ten minutes, you will see an eruption and Stromboli has been doing this for about two thousand years!
I feel sorry for Stromboli because he must be very tired doing the same thing every day and night for the last two thousand years!
I watched Stromboli carefully and I would like to tell you exactly what he does......
At the beginning of an eruption, first you see a puff of greyish black smoke coming out of the crater. Sometimes you will hear a bang like thunder too. Then you see lots of stones and ash falling down from the sky onto one side of the volcano. Somehow, it is always the same side where the stones fall.
If you are in a boat, you can go right up to the side of the volcano where the stones are rolling down because Stromboli is a volcano that rises out of the sea.