Stromboli by Esther Singleton (1906)

"Stromboli," compiled by Esther Singleton, presents Alexandre Dumas's vivid firsthand account of approaching and ascending the volcanic island of Stromboli, one of the Aeolian Islands off Sicily's northern coast. Dumas and his companion Jadin arrive by speronare in the evening, observing the volcano's haystack-shaped silhouette and its rhythmic emissions of smoke and flame before they even make landfall. The port has already closed for the night, preventing immediate entry, but the crew's familiarity with the island ensures a warm reception from the gathered islanders on shore. Stromboli distinguishes itself in Dumas's estimation from more temperamental volcanoes like Vesuvius and Etna by its clockwork regularity: every ten to fifteen minutes, without fail, it delivers thunderous detonations, jets of flame, and cascades of lava rolling down the slope and hissing into the sea. Dumas and Jadin spend the night transfixed by this spectacle, unable to leave the deck. Their dog Milord is driven into a frenzy by the pyrotechnics, repeatedly attempting to leap into the water toward the falling lava. The boatswain, entirely inured to the display, simply goes below and sleeps through it. At dawn the party disembarks and, after breakfast with local hosts who provide figs and grapes, sets off with two hired Stromboliote guides to climb the summit. The ascent proves grueling: the slope is so severe that zigzagging is mandatory, and at several points the climbers must scramble on all fours over near-perpendicular rock faces above sheer drops to the sea. Even the sure-footed Jadin hesitates at the most dangerous passage. From the crater's rim, they look directly down into the funnel-shaped maw of the volcano and witness its mechanism up close — the orifice blocks with fallen lava and cinders, pressure builds, the mountain trembles underfoot, and then the explosion launches stones and lava two hundred feet into the air before the cycle repeats. Drained, the party halts in a small oasis of vines, pomegranates, and olives just below the summit, where the guides bring more fruit. Milord, finding no water, is reduced to eating fig skins and grape rinds — prompting Dumas to muse, with humor, on what a canine memoir of the journey might read like. The descent is taken by a different route, sparing the climbers the vertiginous passages of the ascent. The piece closes with a symmetrical observation: the ascent of Etna nearly froze them; the descent of Stromboli nearly roasted them. Dumas and Jadin solemnly swear, hands extended toward the mountain, that Stromboli will be the last volcano they ever visit — though they acknowledge Vesuvius still awaits comparison.

By Esther Singleton · First published 1906 · Genre: Travel Writing, Adventure, Nature Writing · 1,949 words

First lines

(_SICILY_) / ALEXANDRE DUMAS

As we advanced, Stromboli became more and more distinct every moment, and through the clear evening air we could perceive every detail; this mountain is formed exactly like a hay-mow, its summit being surmounted by a peak; it is from this summit that the smoke escapes, and, at intervals of a quarter of an hour, a flame; during the daytime this flame does not apparently exist, being lost in the light of the sun; but when evening comes, and the Orient begins to darken, this flame becomes visible and you can see it dart forth from the midst of the smoke which it colours, and fall again in jets of lava.

• Open reader

Genres

• Travel Writing — First-person narrative account of a journey to Stromboli island in Sicily, documenting observations, experiences, and encounters during travels, a defining characteristic of travel literature.
• Adventure — Incorporates dramatic elements including dangerous volcanic eruptions witnessed firsthand, perilous mountain climbing, navigation of treacherous terrain with vertigo challenges, and encounters with natural hazards and environmental dangers.
• Nature Writing — Contains extensive detailed descriptions of the volcano's geological features, volcanic processes, eruption mechanics, island flora, fauna, and natural phenomena observed with scientific attention.
• Memoir — Structured as a personal experiential account presenting the author's direct observations, reactions, and reflections on journeys and encounters, emphasizing subjective experience and memory.

Tags

travel · Italy · Sicily · Aeolian Islands · volcano · geography · natural history · Mediterranean · island life · Italian culture · landscape · eruption

What this Textopian page supports

Stromboli is listed on Textopian as an essay by Esther Singleton, dated 1906 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Essay
• Author: Esther Singleton
• Date: 1906 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Travel Writing, Adventure, Nature Writing, Memoir, Essay
• Length: 1,949 words
• Structure: 1 section, 23 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)

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• Work identity for Stromboli by Esther Singleton
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Esther Singleton

• St. Mark's (1898)
• The Tower of London (1898)
• The Cathedral of Antwerp (1898)
• The Taj Mahal (1898)
• The Cathedral of Notre-Dame (1898)
• The Kremlin (1898)
• The Cathedral of York (1898)
• The Mosque of Omar (1898)
• All works by Esther Singleton