Beaches and MudbathIn Vulcano: Swimming All Year Round
Best
beach is the one at Porto Ponente Black sand beach (Sabbie Nere)
which, was formed along with Vulcanello itself. Here the sand is black, very
fine and the sea is marvellous.
The
nearby beaches are reachable by boats Cala Formaggio, Praia Longa to the south
of this beach are of great charm and beauty. A short walk will bring you to
their pebby beaches. One stretch of coastline of incomparable beauty is the one
that runs from Porto di Ponente as far as Capo Secco, with a series of
spectacular inlets and promontories.
After
the Testa Grossa promontory, you come to a grotto called the Grotta del Cavallo,
which a small boat can actually sail into. As you continue your tour of the
island, you will see the slopes of the primordial volcano, the lighthouse and a
few houses in the area of the disused landing-stage at Gelso. You make your
return south of Porto di Levante, passing by the volcanic crater on your way.
Virgil
once wrote of “ Vulcano smoking in the middle of the sea”; since the times
of the Roman poet, the peaceful island has changed very little.
The
fumaroles in the crater still give out dense clouds of sulphur dioxide.
Immediately to the north of Porto di Levante, the sea water is warmed by smaller
fumaroles (Acque Calde) that are located along the coast at a depth of up
to a few metres. In the immediate hinterland area, there are the famous
thermal springs, where you can bathe in a mixture of sea water and mud (Pozza
dei Fanghi.) at any time of year and any time of day or night.
Leaving
from Porto di Levante, you can reach the thermal springs and fumaroles in
a matter of five minutes if you follow the road that bears to the right of the
lighthouse.
Others beautiful beaches
are Spiaggia di Cannitello and Spiaggia dell’Asino on the other side of the island
facing Sicily, it's Gelso village, you can get there by bus (living from the port in Vulcano in the mornig about 9,00 and 11,00 a.m.),
or by moped.
