[imagesource: Getty]

Ask any sex and relationship advice columnist (or podcaster – shout-out to Dan Savage) and they’ll agree that keeping things fresh in the bedroom is a surefire way to keep your relationship on track.

For most people that means trying new things and/or opening up lines of communication.

Alternately, you could pack your bags, book a plane ticket, and lie naked on a volcano in Italy.

You can’t make this stuff up.

According to CNN, remote islands in Italy have been playing host to “sex pilgrimages”.

Stromboli and Filicudi, two beautiful islands in Sicily’s Aeolian archipelago, are believed by some to have magical, aphrodisiac powers ideal for those seeking – or desperately trying to recover – the ecstasy of passionate nights.

Cool – let’s see why the islands are magic.

Stromboli

They’re calling Stromboli, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, the “most aphrodisiac of islands”. There are frequent eruptions every 15 minutes or so.

“It’s a very sensual place, an isle of fire and passion,” says Maria Puglisi, a local wine trader. “You can feel the constant vibrations inside of you each time the pinnacle erupts; it’s like if the volcano explodes in your body. It’s a powerful, aphrodisiac pull.”

Thanks for the overshare.

People like to hike up the crater, strip naked, and lie on the ground to feel the vibrations.

“It’s an orgasmic experience, a ritual that ignites passionate sex. The heat and volcanic beat get into your blood and trigger this sexual vibe in the air. The volcano is alive, we call it “Iddu” (him), and he’s guilty of turning folks on. He’s a naughty boy.”

The island is also said to release a hypnotic fragrance during the night which boosts libido and is believed to help couples conceive.

“It’s called cestrum nocturnum and its greenish-white flowers bloom only when the sun sets,” says Luisa Paduano, owner of Le Terrazza di Eolo, a seafood restaurant with panoramic views over an extinct volcanic crater known as Strombolicchio. “That’s when it does its magic. We call it Lady of the Night or Beauty of the Night.

Filicudi

Here, the landscape, which includes a penis-shaped rock that you can see above, is what draws couples to the island.

Nino Terrano of I Delfini diving center says he often brings women out “to discover the ragged sea stacks that surround the isle, of the weirdest shapes and colors.”

“One such rock, shaped like male genitalia, is said to bring good luck: girls who stroke it will end up finding a guy, get married and have lots of kids.”

Locals say that it has a “primaeval vibe that awakens senses and pleasure”.

The island also has a cave, fondly known as ‘Lover’s Cave’ (below).

It is said that if a man and a woman enter the cave as two people, they will inevitably succumb to lust and come out as three, with a baby just conceived.

“It’s a mystery, there’s something in that cave that drives hormones wild and blinds people with desire,” says Terrano.

You heard it here first, it’s a mystery.

Hey, if you want to visit a sexy cave or volcano, you do you – or each other.

Whatever works.

[source:cnn]