L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2020 L'Italo-Americano ted here and there by the bright, diamond-like white of Mediterranean homes. The silvery green of olive trees melts into the darker, waxy green of orange and l e m o n g r o v e s , a l l r e s t i n g along the sides of a perfectly s h a p e d m o u n t a i n o f f i r e , whose feet rest almost 1000 meters under sea level. Locals call the volcano i d d u , " h e " i n S i c i l i a n , showing the deep connec- tion they feel with it. The S t r o m b o l i i s a f o r c e t o r e c k o n w i t h , a p o w e r f u l reminder of Man's own fra- gility and of the ultimate superiority of Nature on us; y e t , i t i s n ' t a n e n e m y . I t stands to remind us about how we should lead our life, in owe of nature, attached to what truly counts, free from today's superficial canons of success and popularity. This is, in fact, the opinion of many of the people inter- v i e w e d b y A n n a Bressanin who, in 2019, presented the award-win- ning documentary Island o f F i r e t o t h e E l b a F i l m F e s t i v a l . B r e s s a n i n g a v e voice to Stromboli's small community, shedding light on its reality and its rela- island for good, but many, as Bressanin found out while filming, eventually return to the black, the silver and the b l u e o f t h e i r a n c e s t r a l home. S t r o m b o l i t o d a y i s a popular tourist destination: the sea is beautiful, beaches are quiet and clean and the landscape is breathtaking. But iddu remains the most precious of all attractions, with many visitors hiking for three hours to climb up the volcano and witness first h a n d t h e b e a u t y a n d m y s t e r y o f i t s a c t i v i t y . Ginostra, a small village reachable only by sea and home to not more than 30 or 40 people in low season, is a b e a u t i f u l c o r n e r o f Mediterranean peace, while about a mile off the coast of the island we find the popu- tionship with the volcano. Many among them, espe- c i a l l y t h e y o u n g e r o n e s , declared they see it as an old f r i e n d . W i t h o u t a d o u b t , b e i n g a t e e n a g e r o n Stromboli is not simple: as there are no high schools on the island, students have to leave for mainland Sicily to continue their education. Many of them go to univer- sity and end up leaving the lar Strombolicchio, a vol- canic islet that represents the north-most part of Sicily. In its beauty and wilder- ness, the island of Stromboli r e m i n d s u s a l l o f h o w N a t u r e d o m i n a t e s o v e r Humankind and how, if we were only able to humbly accept this, a more peaceful, serene existence could begin for us, even away from the volcano. Homes and shops on Stromboli Island (Photo: Thevirex/Dreamstime) Continued from page 8 Stromboli and its beaches: note the dark color of the volcanic sand (Photo: DiegoFiore/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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