In the town of Palmi, near the sea, there is a mountain called Sant’Elia where in the past the hermit Elia used to live in solitude and prayer. This place has an incomparable beauty, full of lights and perfumes, while far out to the sea you can see the plume of smoke of a volcano. It’s Stromboli which rumbles because inside there is the devil, enchained, who has been punished because he tempted Sant’Elia while he was in penitence. On top of Sant’Elia mountain, still today over a big rock on which one can see the devil’s huge claw-marks, while the slope and the beach are strewn with black pebbles like old carbonised coins.
The legend has it that, after leaving his home town (Enna), Elia moved to Palmi. Since he was looking for a place remote from men, he walked to the top of mount Alias (today is called with his name). Enchanted by the beauty of the landscape, he decided to stop there. He started to build shed, using stone, mud and reeds. His diet consisted of wild fruits and pot-herbs and grubs.
One day the devil decided to tempt him and appeared to him in the shape of a beautiful woman wearing an apron full of fresh juicy fruit. The woman walked into his shed taking off her headscarf and showing her long beautiful blond hair. She said to Elia, in a seductive voice: “What are you doing alone, handsome boy?” He answered: “I’m doing penance, I’m with the lord”. “And what do you eat?” asked the beautiful woman. “Wild herbs and fruits from the fields”, answered the holy man. At that point, the woman undid her apron and showed him some fruit so fresh and sweet-smelling, that Elia almost reached out for some. Just then he cast a glance at the woman and drew his hand back, terrified. He did the sign of the cross and the woman vanished in a ring of fire. Elia hurried out of the shed and started to run toward a high rock, to see the sky and the sea and reach for God.
His heart cheered up, at last. When behind him appeared a man carrying a bag: when he got close to the rock, a tinkling sound came from the bag. The man was mild in appearance and Elia thought he was a tinker, because he was dirty. “Where do you come from, what are you carrying?” asked Elia because he was terrified and he wanted to talk. “I was very fortunate”, said the man and overturned the bag showing Elia a lot of golden coins. He said again: “Look at these coins, take some. What are you doing alone on this mountain. Take this gold and enjoy life!” The coins shone in the sunlight and Elia touched them lightly. Suddenly he understood that this was the devil and then he broke in a shout: “Beelzebub, be curst!” and he started to throw the golden coins over the side of the mountain. When they hit the soil, they became black, like charcoal. As Elia cursed him, out of the devil’s shoulders came bat’s wings, and the stone under his foot became hot as lava. At this point he jumped, and angry sank his claws into the rock, which became incandescent. He flew in a circle of fire, and fell into the sea with a crashing noise. Suddenly a cloud of smoke rose from the sea, and rumbles shook the earth.
When the cloud dispersed, a little black island rose out of the sea, with a great mouth that put in out fire and steam. It is so that Stromboli was born. The devil is still imprisoned therein; the flames are his breath, the roars his shouts.

Adapted from the original Italian version www.maridelsud.com/leggende/stromboli.htm