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Island hop in style around the small but beautiful Aeolian islands off the coast of Sicily, says Matt Cartmell
Fire above and fire below” – that’s how one resident described the effect of these seven volcanic islands, baking under the constant gaze of a Sicilian sun. The Italians have been holidaying here for centuries, and now it seems the rest of the world is catching up with the charms of these islands steeped in history, culture and cuisine.
Each with their own peculiar identity, the islands are dispersed in a Y shape across a 90km sea arch along Sicily’s north east coast, with Lipari as their centre and focal point.
Boasting well-connected ferries and hydrofoils from Palermo and Milazzo, crystalline shores, black beaches and a dazzling clarity of light, the Aeolians are the perfect place for a spot of island-hopping – or if you’re feeling lazy, just picking one island and kicking back…
The most western island, it features only one small village (Alicuda Porto) and breathtaking views over rugged slopes.
Stay and eat: Ericusa (Via Regina Elena, tel: +39 090 9889902) – the only restaurant and hotel on the island.
Closest to Sicily, Vulcano is composed of four interlocking volcanoes. The only one still active is the Vulcano della Fossa, which smokes disconcertingly above Porto Di Levante. This sleepy harbour village is reminiscent of a Greek island: affordable and easy-going, at times charmingly ramshackle. Huge rugged clumps of ochre rock give an otherworldly feel.
Down by the harbour there’s a youthful crowd with a surf-bum vibe – curious because there’s little in the way of water sports on this or any of the other islands. However, the island makes up for this with its geological activities – visitors can wallow in the cleansing hot mud baths, geothermal swimming pools and bubbling underwater fumaroles which are claimed to aid rheumatic ailments. Also, a trip to the small peninsula of Vulcanello to see the ‘valley of monsters’ – formations of volcanic rock shaped into freaky creatures – is fascinating.
Stay: Hotel Garden (Via Perte Ponente, tel: +39 090 9852106) is reasonably-priced but well-appointed, boasting blastingly cold air con and a mere 100-metre walk to the beach.
Eat: Maria Tindara (Via Provinciale, tel: +39 090 9853004) is set amid pine trees – enjoy home-made tagliatelle alla Vulcanara and fresh grilled fish.
Hang out: Cantine Stevenson (Via Porto Di Levante, tel: +39 090 9853247) is an atmospheric meeting place facing the port, which features live music and a well-stocked wine cellar.
By Aeolian standards, Lipari is a veritable metropolis. The largest of the archipelago’s islands, it has a 38km square area, and its inhabitants – called Liparesi or Liparoti – are approximately 8,980 in number.
The main town, also Lipari, contains the long thoroughfare called the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which is great for clothes shopping, restaurants and ice cream parlours. Chunks of obsidian, the natural glass created by the volcano and once a principal export for use as tools and arms, is now sold in doorways to tourists.
Unlike the smaller islands, night life is bustling in Lipari – young and old congregate until the early hours at the stylish Piazza Marina Corta, where loud music plays to courting couples. Overlooking the piazza is the Castle, the original fortified town and the main focus of the historical centre. Within its walls settled the Neolithic populations of the first metal age, the bronze age and the Hellenistic age, as demonstrated by the archaeological findings on display.
Outside Lipari town, visitors can travel by car to the small village of Canneto, situated on a beautiful cove; also the beach at Acquacalda, the mountain village of Quattropani and the white colonial houses of Pianoconte.
Despite lacking the idiosyncrasies of the smaller islands, Lipari has all the contrasts of town and country to keep holiday-makers interested without feeling the need to hop on a boat. Stay: Hotel Carasco (Porto Delle Genti, tel: +39 090 9811605) has breathtaking views over the bay with private beach access, plus a great pool area. Eat: Al Pirata (Marina Corta, tel: +39 090 9811796) for beautifully presented seafood in a romantic sea-front setting. Hang out: La Precchia (191 Via Vittorio Emanuele, tel: +39 090 9811303) is a meeting place for the young, serenaded by lounge music.
With just 280 inhabitants (Panarioti), Panarea is the smallest of the islands, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in sheer chichi appeal. A thriving seafront of elegant bars and boutiques plays host to beautiful people sipping iced tea and mojitos, above which the
S. Pietro hamlet rises – a myriad of appealing white cottages. But it’s not just a millionaires’ playground. The island boasts a soothing thermal spring at Punte Peppe e Maria, which is used to cure rheumatic ailments.
Also recommended is a walk down a rock-lined path which ploughs a course through the cacti towards the village of Drauto, where you can view the prehistoric village at the Capo Milazzese promontory. Descending towards the Castello district you will arrive at Il Timpone del Corvo, the highest summit on the island. Stunning views.
Stay: Quartara Hotel (15 Via S. Pietro, tel: +39 090 983027) is small, exclusive and boasts handmade teak furniture. The restaurant is excellent.
Eat: Da Pina (Via S. Pietro, tel: +39 090 983032) has great Mediterranean cuisine in a drawing-room environment. Hang out: Banacalii (1 Via Lani, +39 090 983004), a Maghreb-style club on the promenade.
If you’re looking for one island to encapsulate all the charms of the Aeolians, Salina could be it: Stromboli’s mystery, Panarea’s style, Lipari’s size and… roads. Salina is also the greenest of the islands and possibly, the most beautiful. So fertile is the isle that it produces its own wine, called Malvasia.
The island is divided into three main towns – the main port S. Marina with its bric-a-brac-selling backstreets, and the pretty inland towns of Malfa and Leni. Also worth visiting is the charming port of Rinella, which you reach after travelling along a winding mountain road with panoramic views of the island.
To the south of S. Marina, you’ll find the small Lingua salt lake which gave the island its name. An old inactive volcano can be reached at Monte Fossa delle Felci, from the peak of which is a splendid view of the archipelago. But most of all, Salina’s relaxed nature should be enjoyed reclining with a cold drink. Stay: Hotel Signum (15 Via Scalo, tel: +39 090 9844222) is a reconstruction of an ancient Aeolian village, with panoramic views.
Eat: Il Delfino (Via M. Garibaldi, tel: +39 090 9843024) offers traditional Aeolian cuisine such as squid in Malmsey wine.
Hang out: Chiofalo Salvatore (16 Via Liberta, tel: +39 090 9809224) has great ice cream and even better cocktails.
This small island has three main villages, excellent scuba-diving conditions and two prehistoric villages to explore.
Stay: Villa La Rosa (24, Via Rosa, tel: +39 090 9889965) is a peaceful hotel and restaurant.
Eat: Da Nino (Filicudo Porto, tel: +39 090 9889984) – delicious seafood and perfect pizzas.
Stromboli, the island that rises from the ocean at a perfect 45 degree angle, has an eerie quality – as the furthest and most easterly of the Aeolians, tourism is relatively minimal, and the first thing you’ll notice is the silence. The pitch-black beach has the appearance of a graveyard for small boats.
The strange calm is emphasised by the lack of roads – instead, you can get happily lost walking along the winding paths prowled by alley cats and motoapes – the island’s scooter cars. There’s no street lighting either, so by night, you’ll find these passageways aglow with twinkling torches.
We recommend a steep walk up to the pretty village of S. Vincenzino, where trekkers sprawl outside its typical yellow church before they take the long walk up to the peak of the volcano. Reaching the volcano takes three hours. It’s the most fascinating of all the volcanoes on the archipelago, but also the most demanding – some parts of its 900 metres are steep and sandy, so an authorised guide is advisable.
Stay: Villaggio Stromboli (Via Regina Elena, tel: +39 090 986018) is idyllic: directly on the sea, between two solidified lava flows.
Eat: Punta Lena (Via Marina, tel: +39 090 986204) serves great octopus salad and grilled Pezzogna fish.
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