Article: FIERY CHARM OF VOLCANIC ITALY.

Byline: MARK MCCRUM

BLACK sand, a sea bath hot with sulphurous steam, the orange flashes of regular nocturnal eruptions - these are some of the surprises to be found in the Aeolian islands, the bizarrely beautiful volcanic archipelago that rises starkly out of the sea just north of Sicily.

Once the home of a tiny population scratching a living, and a haven for pirates and exiles, the seven islands in this remote group are now slowly opening themselves up to the juicier rewards of tourism.

Their geography, fortunately, doesn't make it easy for them. Even Lipari, the largest, has no airport. Access is by hydrofoil from Sicily or Naples.

Long may it remain that ...

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