Having landed on the island of Vulcano a few days into our Italian Adventure the towering peak stood proudly behind our hotel and was just begging to be climbed. At random moments of the day you could see plumes of sulphur escaping from different bit of the mountain and I couldn't wait to get up there so we could see the crater for ourselves.
So off we set, up the clearly marked path that wound its way up the hill. Every 100mtrs or so there was a sign letting you know how far you had to go. It was early so we practically had the path to ourselves which was a blessing as the early morning ferries bringing people to the island for their own walk up the hill hadnt yet arrived.
The path was easy and the best bit was the opening views up behind us. All the local islands were now on view and we could clearly see all the way over to Stromboli which was another volcano on our list. As usual and with the heat of the day rising there were plenty of flies so it was best to keep moving as when you stood still they tended to swarm.
In less than an hour we were at the top of the path and at the southern end of the crater. It was here we could see just how prominent the sulphur plumes were and the gases were escaping from most of the crater rim and bowl. The smell was incredible, rotten eggs and not a pleasant smell at all. I guess you get used to it but in some places it was really overpowering.
So we made our way up to the right to follow the path up round the rim and back down the other side. There seemed to be more people about now and several paths showing different routes on different parts of the hill.
There were 2 routes really to chose from to get us down. 1 was through the sulphur field which was the one Chris too and the other was a path that took you down a little away from the sulphar which was the one I chose. Never the less I was still able to capture Chris on his suphuric journey down the mountain side and he mentioned it was smelly and a bit hot...........ewwwww!
Up and down in a couple of hours and before the heat of the day and the hoards of tourists that were now clambering up the sides spoiled our day. It was a good call to go early and a truely spectacular experience.
