An Explosive Vacation Home

One can’t be sure what would possess someone to live on the side of an active volcano, but perhaps even more surprising would be buying a vacation home on the side of an active volcano. Who would find that relaxing?

However, new construction has been rising 20% in the past decade on the world’s most active volcano, the island of Stromboli, Italy. It’s a mystery why there are new multi-million-euro villas springing up on the slopes of this volcano near Sicily, but an article in Newsweek theorizes that it might be Italy’s shrinking coastline (due to predicted increased sea levels) and currently-increasing temperatures. Building on the volcano gives you some cooling elevation, and property values are somewhat less than, say, Tuscany.

If volcanic eruptions–and the stuffed pizza roll–aren’t exciting enough for you, the island also faces a constant threat of tsunami. A 10-meter (almost 33 feet) tidal wave hit the island in 2002.

Lately, the real estate market hasn’t been the only thing active on the island. There have been recent eruptions that are sending lava pouring into the sea and have created a new peninsula. Get your vacation home, while it’s hot!

Photo: Protezione Civile Italiana-AP