By Peter Berton

NAPLES, Italy – Can the rotten-egg smell of volcanic hydrogen sulfide actually help men get it up? Some people think so. Possessed of the notion breathing volcanic fumes will produce sexual bliss, couples are paying to play near the Solfatara volcano, which is dormant but still emits jets of sulfurous gas.

The site is far from romantic, offering only minimal privacy and comfort. One enterprising property owner walled-off small spaces he calls “sex bays” and fitted each one with an entrance curtain. Couples park their cars inside the bays and proceed to engage in traditional automotive backseat adventures … assuming they have a backseat and a vehicle larger than a Fiat 500.

Campsites also are available for those who want the full “back to nature” package.

They may wish to be sure they bring along gas masks, just in case.

“Hydrogen sulfide … can be toxic in large quantities,” noted the UK’s Daily Mail. “However, in smaller doses, scientists say the chemical plays an important part in a male erection. As well as increasing blood flow, the chemical relaxes nerves in muscles that control an erection.”

Apparently the founder of the Solfatara sex spa found that to be true.

“Sebastiano De Luca, the chemist and naturalist who gave prestige to the Solfatara, lives happily abroad after three wives and 18 children,” the campsite’s website avows. “[Current manager] Giorgio Angarano confirms: ‘He left this place full of hydrogen sulfide and gave part of our land to the rest of the world.”

Perhaps the U.S. National Parks Service could step in and help reduce the federal deficit by developing part of Yellowstone for a higher purpose.