The famed volcanic island of Stromboli began belching lava again on Tuesday, triggering the evacuation of coastal towns on two nearby islands.
Government experts said the move was "merely a precaution" and the eruption was "nowhere near as big" as a huge explosion which sent a tidal wave rippling out across the nearby archipelago three years ago.
Stromboli, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is part of the Eolian Islands to the north of Sicily.
"There are no signs of major landslips that might cause tidal waves," said Enzo Boschi of the National Institute of Geophysics and Seismology.
"In any case, all the necessary measures have been taken to protect the local population".
However, as a precaution two oil tankers were ordered out of the northern Sicilian port of Milazzo and two ferrries were told to get out of the area.
People living on the coasts of the islands of Panarea and Lipari were moved into shelters inland, according to emergency plans updated after the December 2002 disaster.
On Stromboli itself, sirens alerted the local population to the eruption and officials reassured them the situation was under control.
As a further precaution, helicopters and firefighting boats were sent to the island.
On December 30, 2002, Stromboli blew its stack in a terrific explosion that sent one of the island's slopes crashing into the sea.
Four million cubic metres of lava - the equivalent of a 30-storey building - crashed into the water creating a tidal wave which reached as far as the Sicilian mainland.
On Stromboli, six people were injured, homes were flooded and dozens of boats destroyed.
Many of the island's 400 residents were evacuated and tourism banned.
Large bubbles of sulphur gas also surfaced in the sea off Panarea.
Stromboli has seen several major explosions over the past century.
A violent eruption in September 1930 caused a tidal wave that led to several deaths and threatened to engulf two towns in lava.
The disaster inspired the celebrated film 'Stromboli' by Italian directing legend Roberto Rossellini.
