The active volcano on the holiday island of Stromboli, one of the Aeolian islands, has been provided with six bunkers to protect tourists from lava bombs. Stromboli is part of the region of Sicily and has a volcano which erupts, usually in a controlled way, at least once an hour throwing up incandescent lava in varying quantities. The eruptions are particularly impressive at night and the volcano is much visited by groups of tourists, who leave the village of Stromboli and make a three-hour trek up to the top of the volcano, where the earth is hot and the air impregnated with gas.

The six bunkers have been installed by the Italian department of civil protection around the crest of the volcano and are designed to be used by tourists in the event of a particularly violent eruption. They were carried up to the top of the volcano by helicopter and are made of a double layer of steel, which is sufficiently strong to withstand volcanic rocks weighing up to 150 kilos travelling at a speed of up to 250 kilometres an hour.

For information about the island see www.isoladistromboli.com