Strombolicchio is a small volcanic sea stack that is located in the vicinity of the bigger island of Stromboli, which is part of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, within the Italian Republic. Being an important tourist attraction in the area, the name of the islet comes from the Sicilian language which in fact means Little Stromboli.
This basalt stick of rock, according to some scientists, is all that remains of the core of a volcano which might have eroded away not so long ago, leaving this quite exquisite natural wonder. As Strombolicchio nowadays is resistant to erosion, it has given the opportunity to some very rare species of flora and fauna to blossom on the islet.
Due to this importance, in 1991 the tiny islet was declared as a complete natural reserve which prevents tourists from setting foot on it, however, some are able to climb to the very top of Strombolicchio. The endangered flower which is at risk of extinction, bassia saxicola, can be seen here, and interestingly enough, there are only in a few hundred specimens left on the island of Capri.
There is even the very rare, classified as at critical risk of extinction lizard, better known as the Aeolian wall lizard, which is found only at certain other islands of the Aeolian chain of islands. Definitely, one of the most intriguing features is the lighthouse which is reachable from the sea with some 200 steps, added to Strombolicchio in 1925.
Consisting of a white cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern, atop white stone keeper’s house which has only one floor, the lighthouse which is completely automated, powered by a solar unit, emits three white flashes in a 15 seconds period, visible up to a distance of 11 nautical miles, which is measured to be some 20 km (13 mi).
All in all, Strombolicchio has great importance to the local flora and fauna, and with the hope that the certain species of flora and fauna will be saved from being extinct, it shall be used as a great example of how the species can be saved from a certain extinction.
