Went up Stromboli a few years ago. It was quite active that evening, and an experience I will never forget - sitting there watching, hearing and feeling the power of the earth just made me feel very small, insignificant and powerless.
We stayed on Etna that holiday too, in a ski-resort. We were going to have a look at the craters, but there had been a bit of activity recently, so we weren't allowed up to the very top. A few weeks later it blew, and sent a stream of lava which took out the hotel we were staying in.
I still have a volcanic bomb that I picked up from the slopes of Etna. Was quite surprised how casual the guide was about letting us take souvenirs, until I twigged that they were well aware that there were plenty more pyroclasts on the way, and that they weren't going to run out in my lifetime, no matter how many people took pieces away.
