Barefoot climber tackles Stromboli

Palermo, July 8 - Italian 'barefoot climber' Tom Perry will this week attempt to conquer the active volcano of Stromboli in his latest feat of extreme shoeless daring. Although he will be coming down, rather than climbing up, the Aeolian island's 924-metre peak, Perry will walk where no man has set foot before, descending the 'Sciara del Fuoco' side of the volcano where lava flows during eruptions. In places the slope offers 50-degree inclines. The 48-year-old athlete from Vicenza will face the volcano alone, but will have a radio transmitter to keep in contact with a helicopter which will film the descent and, if necessary, airlift Perry out of danger. The last major eruption of Stromboli was in December 2002. Perry, who was born Antonio Peretti, has already left his shoes behind to conquer Kilimanjaro in Africa, Fuji in... [read full story]