The slopes of the Great Crater and most of
the island are covered with thick bush, where are prevailing
Genista tyrrhena a broom endemic of the Eolian
islands and Ponza island. In the gardens of the town Piano
survives another plant exclusive of the archipelago, the
Cytisus aeolicus. This plant was already known as forage
in Greek age: its qualities were in fact described by
Theophrastus, which calls it "colitia of the Eolian". The
citiso and other essences, especially oaks,
constituted in the past a thick bush extended over much of
the surface of the island. The Volcano landscape today is
dramatically changed from its original appearance, and that
as a result of which, starting from the eighteenth century,
the island has made cultivable. Small patches of oaks,
however, still survive in various locations in the Piano and
the south, along the road to Gelso. The fauna includes some
endemic: the more "frequent" meeting in summer evenings,
around artificial lights, is the one with a small animal
with a silked aspect, Anoxia moltonii called by the
islanders "papaleo ". The larva can live many years in the
ground, where it feeds on roots and plant substances; adults
fly instead for a few months, gathering in noisy swarms, at
sunset, for reproduction.
History
Volcano was called by the Greeks "the island of Fire" where
Gods produced weapons of the heroes. In more recent times, Campis
reported that from the island are caming large quantities of wood,
alum and sulfur. The mining, which began during the period
of Romany, continued until at the age of Bourbons. After the fall
of this dynasty, in 1860, the northern part of it was
purchased by British Stevenson, who built a big house,
reopened mines and planted the first vineyards. He built a track that
ventured into the abyss of the crater, where they were
manufactured masonry shelters for the workers. In 1888, the
last eruption of the volcano convinced Stevenson to go and
sell everything. The inhabitants of areas Gelso and Piano,
peasants and shepherds were the last and only remaining to form the population. Starting
of a rudimentary agriculture,
mainly based on the wine has made grow interest in the beautiful island, which is now one of the favorite destinations of
tourists in the Aeolian Islands.
Overland Tours Vulcanello is a high 123 meters peninsula and
sort after an underwater volcanic eruption. On this
promontory vegetation is varied and, in the north, lies the
Valley of Monsters, which takes its name from the particular
forms of lava rock situated in the midst of black sand,
shaped over time by weather. Black Sands, the most popular
beach of the island, is located in the natural port of
Ponente and is named for the fine black sand of
volcanic origin. With a walk of about 2 km, it reaches the
district of Lentia, located in the north-west of the island,
from where you can admire the Etna and the islands of the
archipelago. Since the beginning of the road leading to the
plane is departing a path that climbs up to the edge of the
crater. Going along a path in a
northerly direction, we reach Cape Grillo from which, on a
clear day, you can admire the nearest islands, the Church of St.
Guardian Angels built in the thirties, and "Caves
Ferlazzo" where more than ten years we celebrate the living
crib. Lastly, following the road that from the plan reaches the
south side of the island, we arrive at a small village
Gelso, distinctive for its lighthouse and the beach.
Trekking TO THE FOSSA of the forge: The
forge of the
Gods can be reached fairly easily. Once you get on top of
the volcano, was overwhelmed by the acrid smell of sulfur
gas; many, in fact, are the fumaroles and sulfur springs. The landscape, as lunar still traces of past volcanic eruptions.
Along the descent is advisable to stop near the puddle of mud.
Tours by sea Starting the round from Port of Levante,
distinctive for its fumaroles and for the termal springs. By route
towards the northwest it bypasses peninsula of Vulcanello;
passed the channel that separates Vulcano and Lipari
continuing to go along the island to the south, it reaches
the Horse Cave, where the reverberation of sunlight creates
fantastic games light and color. Continuing on the journey,
we arrive at the lighthouse, at Gelso, and continue doing
return to the port of Levante.
Itineraries for divers
The Landslide of the archipelago. It starts down the stretch of
coast that divides two hotels built on the coast. The seabed
drops very gradually for several tens of meters, forming a
broad plateau between 3 and 10 meters, covered by an
alternation of small rocks and large field of Posidonia.
Moving then to Lipari, follows a direction perpendicular to
the coast, to identify the beginning of a pretty steep
descent. The first meters, between 10 and 20, are
characterized by the presence of small stones.
Once past this stretch, stand up to between 35 and 45 meters
deep, the size of the boulders increasing definitely making much more spectacular backdrop.
The Wall Sirenetta Descend along the slopes of an active
volcanic cone is not an experience that happens every day.
The point of the launch is the port of Volcano: skirting the
island for several hundred meters, at some point get a large
rock, overcoming the statue of a mermaid that emerges. It is located on a rocky
platform that suddenly gave way to a dizzying wall, a few
meters from the edge, the bottom starts to degrade rapidly.
The bastions of black lava fall toward the sand, which in
turn goes to the depths, following a high gradient: for
about fifteen meters deep it is worth doing everything
around the rocks of the Little Mermaid, characterized by
large boulders supported on the bottom. In some place the sand is
yellow-red; is seeng even gaseous emissions and hot
water dating from the seabed. Following the boundary between
the rocks of the coast and the beginning of plane, they are some cavities.
Capo Grosso Capo Grosso is a bizarre structure rocky
stretches to the open sea as if it were a fortress built to
prevent waves from the south. The wall is absolutely
vertical on each point and not ever drawn flat on which find
support. The descent into the depths highest is sudden. The
most evocative of this immersion is a kind of ramp carved
into the rock wall completely covered with Astroides.
The rock Quaglietto The cove that opens between
"Capo testa grossa" and the Rock Quaglietto is certainly one of the most
beautiful of all the archipelago. Discover beautiful pools
from natural water crystalline emerald color, the place is
known as the "bathroom of theVirgins" . At the end of the
cove opens a large cave, which you enter by boat, named
Horse Cave. At the center of the cave, resting on the sandy
bottom, stands a statue of a Madonna, perched on a Club
of divers. At the end of the cavity meets a flock of red shrimp.
Capo testa grossa Observing from the sea, we will
notice that this is a massive extension that ends with a
rather elongated wall, which descends into the sea with a
north-south trend. From here you can descend into the water
to the north of the head, near the rocks. Inside the
creek, the rock falls in peak form a vertical wall where there are beautiful sponge colonies.
In the tip we find ia really impressive: the wall
descends vertically in the water but it is very articulate.
The rocks are jagged peaks in channels and indentations.
This imposing morphology continues for several meters, at
depths up pretty high, exceeding 50 meters.
GEOLOGY OF DELL'ISOLA VULCANO
Vulcano and Stromboli are the only island
of the Eolian arch with current volcanic activity. The
Volcanism of this island began during the Upper Pleistocen, giving rise to the formation of strato volca central "Volcano
primordial." The first round of activities ended with the
collapse of the Caldera of Piano, partially filled by products of
intense activity.
The formation of clusters riolitici and
alcali-riolitici constituting the Mounts Lentia took place
later, in late Pleistocen. The formation of the caldera
which hosts the active cone in the Vulcano pit, can be
attributed to dell'Olocene. For a volcanic activity historical (183 BC -
1550 AD) is accounted the formation of the peninsula
Vulcanello. Based on the evidence is suggested a deep
origin of primary magmas
from Volcano, which would be
produced by partial melting of the mantle, above the
subduction zone.
The eruption of Volcano is a late stage in dynamic
of the aeolian arch
and as such clearly differs from that which produced the
oldest islands . The current seismicity,
with focal depth between 200 and 350 km in the arch, shows a
significant correlation with the potassium of active
volcanoes in this area.
MUD IN VULCANO
The "Pozza" thermal located within walking distance from the
port on the island of Vulcano is fed, continuously, from
countless bubbles from which sulfur vapor leak, sea
water and mud with sulfur. These are the
three basic components of the bathroom and explain how it is
virtually impossible to develop any pathogenic forms.
Following the latest indications on cures, wishing that all
stations have their specialization, to avoid mistakes made
in the past when some miraculous qualities were attributed
to various illnesses, the source of thermal Vulcano can be
no doubt be useful in three large groups disease:
- SUFFERING ARTICULAR
- SUFFERING OF THE SKIN
- SUFFERING OF AIR ROUTES
TO VISIT:
Solar Central, thermal pools, hot water, beach west, the
Valle dei mostri (Valley of the monsters)
TRIPS:
Vulcano Piano , verdant mountain village, rising to big
crater (m.386), Gelso, picturesque and peaceful
landing, Capo Grillo, Vulcanello
NOT MISS:
A boat tour with stops at the Horse Caves with the nearby
pool of Venus, Gelso. The caves of Allume in the area of the
port
