Laghetti di Fanghi (Pozza dei Fanghi), Vulcano

What to expect

Vulcano is the southernmost of the Aeolian Islands, off the north coast of Sicily, and the closest to the mainland port of Milazzo. Boats land at Porto di Levante, and the first thing most visitors smell is sulphur. A few minutes’ walk from the dock, at the foot of a yellow-stained rock stack, is the Laghetti di Fanghi, also called the Pozza dei Fanghi: a shallow natural pool of warm, grey volcanic mud.

The routine is simple. You walk into the mud, coat yourself, sit for the time on the signs, let it dry a little, then walk across to the beach and rinse off in the sea. Italia.it says the pool has been used this way since the 1960s, when its surface crust was cleared. At the Acque Calde beach next to it, gas vents bubble up through the sand and warm the shallows. Siviaggia puts the warm water at around 102°F39°C; we found no official figure, and it varies a lot from spot to spot.

It is not a spa. It is a fenced natural site run by a private company, Geoterme Vulcano, with a ticket, signs in several languages, cameras and sensors. Expect crowds in high summer, strong smells, and mud in every seam of your swimsuit.

Status in 2026

This listing needs care, because the pool has been closed more often than open in recent years.

• About 2020 to 2025: The site was shut for almost five years. Part of the reason was legal: the area was seized over unauthorised concrete kerbs, and a judge in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto lifted the seizure on May 26, 2024.
• Gas crisis: From late 2021 carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide rose sharply around Vulcano Porto, and the government declared a state of emergency on December 29, 2021. In late June 2024 Lipari’s mayor ordered Geoterme to fence and guard the pool after INGV and the regional civil protection reported higher gas levels in the crater and around Camping Sicilia and Rimessa.
• June 1, 2025: The pool reopened once the measures in a civil protection note of March 28, 2025 and a mayoral order of April 30, 2025 were in place.
• Mid to late 2025: It closed again for safety and reopened by the end of the year, according to Siviaggia.
• April 14, 2026: La Sicilia reported it open for the 2026 season.

INGV’s monthly bulletin for September 2026 (issued October 6, 2026) describes Vulcano as quiet, with crater carbon dioxide near background levels and no significant change at the stations around Vulcano Porto. That is good news, but the same bulletin repeats that gas can build up near vents at sea, in low ground, downwind and indoors. Treat the status here as “open, subject to sudden closure”, and check locally on the day.

Getting there

Hydrofoils and ferries to Vulcano leave from Milazzo, the main port for the Aeolian Islands on Sicily’s north coast. Vulcano is the closest island to Milazzo. Everything on this side of the island is walkable: the mud pool is a few minutes from the dock at Porto di Levante, on the road towards Vulcanello. You do not need a car for the pool.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn are the most comfortable. July and August are hot and crowded, and the smell and heat around the pool are hard work at midday. Go early in the morning. Outside the main tourist season services on Vulcano thin out, and the operator does not publish fixed opening dates or hours, so ask locally.

Rules and etiquette

The operator’s rules, set when the pool reopened in 2025:

• Buying the ticket counts as signing an informed-consent form.
• Do not stay in the mud longer than the posted time.
• No entry if you have breathing problems or low blood pressure.
• Do not approach the fumaroles or cross the safety barriers.
• Follow the multilingual signs.

Wear an old dark swimsuit you do not mind ruining, and take off silver jewellery, which the sulphur blackens. Do not rub mud near your eyes. Rinse in the sea, then shower properly.

Where to stay nearby

Vulcano Porto, between the two bays, has hotels, B&Bs and holiday flats within walking distance of the pool, plus restaurants and scooter hire. Vulcanello and the Baia di Ponente, with its black-sand Sabbie Nere beach, are a short walk west. Lipari, the largest island, is a short boat ride north and has far more choice, with day trips back to Vulcano.

Safety notes

• Gas: The main hazard. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and collects in hollows and near the ground; hydrogen sulphide smells of rotten eggs at low levels but deadens your sense of smell at high ones. Leave at once if you feel dizzy, short of breath or get a headache.
• Eyes and skin: The mud is acidic and sulphurous. Keep it away from your eyes and out of cuts, and do not lie in it for long.
• Hot spots: The sea vents at Acque Calde can be scalding in places. Feel the water before you sit.
• Heat: There is little shade. Drink water and avoid midday in summer.

Nearby stops worth adding

The walk up the Gran Cratere (La Fossa, 391 m) is the island’s other classic: italia.it describes it as a moderately hard round trip of about 7 km (4.3 miles), best in the cooler hours. Access to the crater has been restricted by mayoral order at times since 2021, so check before you set off. Vulcanello and its “Valley of the Monsters” lava shapes are a short walk from the port. For more Italian hot water by the sea, Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples, has thermal parks such as Giardini Poseidon and Negombo.