The Aeolian Islands

The Aeolian Islands, or Isole Eolie, are a mysterious apparition when glimpsed from Sicily’s northern coast. Sometimes it’s clear enough to pick out the individual white houses on their rocky shores; at other times they’re murky, misty and only half-visible. D.H. Lawrence, on his way to Palermo by train in bad weather, was clearly not in the best of moods when he wrote that they resembled “… heaps of shadow deposited like rubbish heaps in the universal greyness”. The sleepy calm that seems to envelop this archipelago masks a more dramatic existence: two of the islands are still volcanically active, and all are buffeted alternately by ferocious storms in winter and a deluge of tourists in summer. But their unique charm has survived more or less intact, fuelled by the myths associated with their elemental and unpredictable power.

Closest island to the mainland is the day-tripper magnet of Vulcano, with its mud baths, hot springs, black-sand beaches and smoking main crater. Across the channel lies the main island, Lipari, which is the hub of the ferry and hydrofoil system. It also has the widest choice of accommodation and restaurants, and is the only island with any kind of life outside the main summer season. Of the central group of islands, Panarea is the smallest and most elite, and in August the conspicuously rich float in to commune with nature from their multi-million-euro yachts and villas and €500-a-night hotel rooms, overlaying the gentle lapping of the waves with a cacophony of extremely loud music. Though the regular fireworks of its volcano bring droves of trekkers to Stromboli, this island too attracts its share of fashionistas – Dolce and Gabbana have a house here – while the chic whitewashed Piscità quarter is full of stylish villas. Twin-peaked Salina springs perhaps the best surprise – second in size only to Lipari, it attracts a less flamboyant crowd, and being unusually fertile, remains green year-round, making walking in its mountains pleasant at all times. Filicudi, long favoured by the trendy left, has something of a radical-chic feel, though it is all very understated and relaxed; wandering its mule tracks, it’s not hard to get a taste of what life in the archipelago was like twenty – or a hundred – years ago. If this is what you are looking for, make the effort to get out to distant Alicudi, an uncompromising kind of place and, some would say, the hardest to like. Individual identity aside, each Aeolian island is embraced by water of a limpid quality rarely found along the coast of Sicily. Most of the beaches are pebble – sandy stretches are sparse, and tend to be ash-black – but boat tours (available at every Aeolian harbour) provide access to any number of secluded coves, hidden caves and quiet snorkelling and scuba-diving waters.

ALICUDI

Highlights

1 Upper town, Lipari The ancient citadel, high above two harbours, shelters the island’s magnificent archeological museum.

2 Lingua, Salina With its traffic-free piazza and promenade overlooking protected pebble beaches, this relaxed little village is the perfect destination for families with children.

3 Panarea diving Snorkel or dive in sparkling waters above bubbling fumaroles and Roman remains, and explore the craggy uninhabited offshore islets.

4 The ascent of Stromboli Don’t miss the guided climb up one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

5 Lidalina, Filicudi It‘s not quite the lido at the end of the world, but this disarming, eco-friendly oasis is hard to beat.

6 Zucco Grande, Filicudi This remote village, abandoned to emigration, makes a great target for a hike along the mule tracks of Filicudi.

7 A sojourn in Alicudi Few places in Europe are more remote than Alicudi. Join its population of eighty in low season for a true isolation experience.

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AEOLIAN LEGENDS

Volcanoes have always been identified with the mouths of hell, and legend has it that Jupiter’s son, Vulcan, had his workshop in the Aeolians. Vulcano is named after this god of fire and metalworking, while another island takes its name from Liparus, whose daughter Ciane married Aeolus, ruler of the winds and master of navigation; Aeolus, in turn, lent his name to the whole archipelago. These winds were kept in one of the Aeolians’ many caves, and were presented to Odysseus in a bag to take on his travels. His curious crew opened the bag and, as a result, blew his ship straight back to port.

Brief history

The first historic settlers exploited the volcanic resources, above all the abundance of obsidian, a hard glass-like rock that can be worked to produce a fine cutting edge, and was traded far and wide, accruing enormous wealth to the archipelago. The islands were drawn more closely into the Greek ambit by the arrival, around 580 BC, of refugees from the wars between Segesta and Selinus (Selinunte). Those Greeks based at the fortified citadel of Lipari later allied themselves with Carthage, which made Lipari its base during the First Punic War. For its pains, Greek Lipari was destroyed by the Romans in 251 BC and the islands became part of the Roman province of Sicily, paying hefty taxes on exports of obsidian. The islands subsequently changed hands several times before being abandoned to the frequent attacks of wide-ranging North African pirates, culminating in a terrible slaughter that took place in 1544 at the hands of Khair ed-Din, or Barbarossa, who consigned all the survivors of the massacre to slavery – a figure estimated to have been as high as 10,000.

Political prisoners, emigration and Il Postino

Italian unification saw the islands used as a prison for political exiles, a role that continued right up to World War II, with the Fascists exiling their political opponents to Lipari. The last political detainee to be held here was, ironically, Mussolini’s own daughter, Edda Ciano, in 1946. By the 1950s emigration, especially to Australia, had reduced the Aeolian population to a mere handful of families, when the release of Rossellini’s Stromboli: Terra di Dio (1949) and the story of his affair on the island with star Ingrid Bergman put the archipelago under the spotlight. The curious began to visit the islands, many of them buying properties for a song, while other film-makers followed, many of them pioneers in underwater photography. Today’s economy is based on tourism, with hotels sprouting on previously barren ground, and running water and electricity installed (almost) everywhere. Nonetheless, enough primitive splendour has remained for the islands to continue to attract film crews, and Michael Radford’s Il Postino (1994), filmed on Salina, and Nanni Moretti’s Caro Diario (1994) still draw tourists in their droves. Since 2000, the Aeolians have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

GETTING TO THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS

BY FERRY AND HYDROFOIL

Essentials The main embarkation point is Milazzo, from where ferries (navi or traghetti) and hydrofoils (aliscafi) depart year-round (weather permitting), with more frequent departures during the high season (June–Sept). There is also a twice-weekly year-round ferry service from Naples, and a daily year-round service from Messina. In summer there is also one daily hydrofoil connection with Palermo and Naples. The car-carrying ferries take roughly twice as long to most destinations as the hydrofoils, but are around sixty percent cheaper. Hydrofoils are also more prone to cancellation in bad weather, particularly out to the more distant islands, and the low-season ferry to Naples is subject to frequent cancellations.

Ferry and hydrofoil operators Services from Milazzo are with three main companies, all of which have offices at the port: Siremar (ferries and hydrofoils; web_icon siremar.it), Ustica Lines (hydrofoils only; usticalines.it), and NGI (ferries only; ngi-spa.it). Hydrofoil services to Naples are run by SNAV ( SNAV.it).

Tickets Tickets are sold at the companies’ harbourside offices before departure, and timetables are posted at every office; up-to-date schedules are also available online on the company websites. In July and August, and at the beginning and end of public holidays you might need to buy tickets in advance (for which there is a surcharge); otherwise, services are rarely full.

Fares Sample one-way high-season fares from Milazzo are around €16 by hydrofoil or €10 by ferry to Lipari; €21/14 to Stromboli; and €28/16 to Alicudi. Hydrofoils from Messina to Lipari cost around €23, while from Palermo you’ll pay around €26 to Alicudi, €38 to Lipari and €54 to Stromboli. Transporting a car on the car-ferry starts at around €30 one-way (Milazzo to Lipari), while on all services children under 4 go free and under-12s go half-price.

DEPARTURES FROM MILAZZO

Getting to Milazzo Milazzo is 50min from Messina by bus ( web_icon giuntabustrasporti.com); arrivals are timed to coordinate with hydrofoils, and drop you right by the hydrofoil dock. Be sure to take a bus that goes via the autostrada; if not, journey time is 90min. Several companies run minibus shuttle services between the port and Catania airport, costing €25 per head. There is also a direct bus to and from Catania airport at least twice daily from April to October ( web_icon giuntabus.com). Trains are not as convenient, as Milazzo station is on the edge of town and the buses to the port infrequent. There are rarely taxis outside the main summer season, though plenty of dodgy guys in beat-up cars offer an unofficial taxi service. If you need to book an official taxi call Francesco ( tel_icon 347 189 3440).

Ferry destinations (June–Sept) Alicudi (7 weekly; 6hr); Filicudi (7 weekly; 5hr); Ginostra (4 weekly; 5hr 20min); Lipari (5–8 daily; 2hr–2hr 30min); Naples (2 weekly; 17hr); Panarea (4 weekly; 4hr 20min); Rinella (8 weekly; 3hr 30min); Santa Marina (4–5 daily; 3hr–3hr 30min); Stromboli (6 weekly; 5hr 50min–6hr 40min); Vulcano (5–8 daily; 1hr 30min–2hr).

Ferry destinations (Oct–May) Alicudi (6 weekly; 6hr–6hr 30min); Filicudi (6 weekly; 5hr 10min); Ginostra (3 weekly; 5hr 45min); Lipari (3–5 daily; 2hr–2hr 30min); Naples (2 weekly; 17hr 30min); Panarea (4 weekly; 4hr 10min–5hr); Rinella (6 weekly; 3hr 45min); Santa Marina (2–4 daily; 3hr–3hr 30min); Stromboli (5 weekly; 5hr 45min–7hr); Vulcano (3–5 daily; 1hr 30min–2hr).

Hydrofoil destinations (June to mid-Sept) Alicudi (2 daily; 2hr 35hr–3hr 15min); Filicudi (2 daily; 2hr 20min–2hr 35min); Ginostra (4 daily; 1hr 20min–2hr 30min); Lipari (16 daily; 1hr); Palermo (1 daily; 5hr 15min–6hr); Panarea (8 daily; 1hr 15min–2hr); Rinella (7 daily; 1hr 35min–1hr 40min); Santa Marina (13 daily; 1hr 25min); Stromboli (8 daily; 1hr 5min–2hr 50min); Vulcano (15 daily; 40min).

Hydrofoil destinations (mid-Sept to May) Alicudi (1 daily; 2hr 35min); Filicudi (1 daily; 2hr); Ginostra (2 daily; 1hr 20min–2hr 30min); Lipari (12 daily; 1hr); Panarea (4 daily; 1hr 40min–2hr 5min); Rinella (8 daily; 1hr 40min–2hr 20min); Santa Marina (12 daily; 1hr 20min–2hr); Stromboli (4 daily; 1hr 5min–2hr 45min); Vulcano (12 daily; 45min).

DEPARTURES FROM MESSINA

Getting to Messina Departures from Messina are more convenient if you’re coming directly from Catania airport out of season. The port is a 7min walk from the train station, where buses also stop. Ferry departures are frequent, and Ustica Lines runs hydrofoils out to the islands all year (at least once daily even in winter), and also operates summer connections from Reggio di Calabria on the other side of the straits of Messina. Some hydrofoils call at Stromboli and Panarea before heading on to Santa Marina Salina, Lipari and Vulcano – excellent if you are heading to Stromboli or Panarea, but less fun if you are going elsewhere. Other routes call first at either Lipari or Santa Marina Salina.

Ferry destinations (Oct–May) Lipari (5 daily 2hr 35min); Panarea (3 daily; 2hr–2hr 50min); Rinella, Salina (2 daily 2hr 20min–3hr); Santa Maria Salina (4 daily 2hr 10in–2hr 45min); Stromboli (3 daily 1hr 25min–3hr 30min); Vulcano (5 daily 2hr 30min–3hr 20min).

Ferry destinations (June to mid-Sept) Vulcano (1 daily; 1hr 30min); Lipari (1 daily; 1hr 50min), Santa Marina Salina (1 daily; 1hr 25min); Rinella (1 daily; 1hr 45min).

DEPARTURES FROM PALERMO

Getting to Palermo Coming from the west of Sicily (or arriving at Palermo airport), it makes far more sense to use the Ustica Lines hydrofoil services from Palermo, which run daily in summer. However, note that these services are routed first via Alicudi and Filicudi, which makes for a long and expensive trip (with a change at Lipari) if you’re heading directly for Panarea or Stromboli, for example. Note also that this route – much of it out in the unprotected open sea – is particularly subject to delays, so don’t cut things too close if returning from the Aeolians to take a flight from Palermo.

Hydrofoil destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 2hr); Filicudi (1 daily; 2hr 30min); Lipari (1 daily; 4hr); Milazzo (1 daily; 5hr 30min); Panarea (1 daily; 4hr 40min); Rinella (1 daily; 3hr 15min); Santa Marina Salina (1 daily; 3hr 30min), Stromboli (1 Daily; 5hr 20min).

DEPARTURES FROM NAPLES

By ferry The most direct way to get to the islands from central Italy is by ferry from Naples, with departures twice weekly (Tues & Fri) throughout the year at 8pm (weather permitting); ferries return to Naples on Mon and Thurs. If you’re heading to or departing from Salina, note that ferries alternate between using the ports of Rinella and Santa Marina, though in winter the choice of port will depend on weather conditions. The Friday service from Naples is the only one that calls at Filicudi – on all other services you will need to change at Rinella or Santa Marina Salina. Note that delays of a couple of hours or so are not unusual.

Ferry destinations Filicudi (1 weekly; 13hr, 15min); Ginostra (2 weekly; 10hr 20min); Lipari (2 weekly; 13hr 30min–15hr 30min); Milazzo (2 weekly; 16hr–18hr); Panarea (2 weekly; 11hr 15min); Rinella (1 weekly; 14hr 20min); Santa Marina Salina (1 weekly; 12hr 30min); Stromboli (2 weekly; 9hr 40min); Vulcano (2 weekly; 14hr 15min–16hr 10min).

VISITING THE AEOLIANS

Aeolian food is among the most distinctive in Italy, fish of course providing the mainstay but with the traditional crops of capers, olives and mountain herbs flavouring most dishes, while the malvasia grapes provide one of Sicily’s more ancient wines. Other foods (as well as much of the water on some islands) have to be imported, so restaurants tend towards the expensive, as do hotels and B&Bs. Accommodation rates in the Aeolians fluctuate a lot more than in other parts of Sicily. Prices for August are at least double those charged in low season, and often rates can as much as triple. For example, a hotel charging €200 for a double room with breakfast in August would probably cost €60 in early spring and late autumn, €80 in May or October, €100 in June or September, €120 in July. Many places also insist on half board (mezza pensione, ie dinner, bed and breakfast) and multi-night stays in high season. It’s wise to book ahead if you plan on visiting at this time – but thankfully August is arguably the least appealing month for non-Italians to visit, with the heat and crowds making it hard to get a sense of the true identities of the islands.

Ferries and hydrofoils ply between the islands year-round – their arrival is often the high point of the day in a place like Alicudi, with a permanent population of around a hundred. Services are reduced out of season (basically Oct–May), but you should still be able to reach most islands daily. Indeed, visiting outside peak season is highly recommended, since there’s a refreshing absence of other tourists, and accommodation rates plummet accordingly. However, be warned that many hotels and restaurants close their doors for the entire winter, while if the weather turns, you’re in danger of being stuck for days – the archipelago is frequently lashed by storms between October and March. Even in summer high winds and storms can strike, and heavy seas can mean the cancellation of ferry and hydrofoil services to both the mainland and the other islands. If this happens, there’s no alternative to sitting and waiting the storm out.

There are ATMs on all the islands except Alicudi. Power cuts are commonplace, caused by storms in winter, and in August by over-demand, so a torch is a good idea, especially in winter. Don’t be surprised if hotels ask you to be sparing with the water, as it’s imported by tanker.

GETTING AROUND

Inter-island ferries and hydrofoils Travelling between the Aeolians is easy, as ferries and hydrofoils link all the islands. The schedules detailed in this chapter are for year-round services; visit the company websites to get details of the increased summer sailings, which vary from year to year. In winter, services are reduced, and in rough weather may be cancelled altogether, particularly on the routes out to Stromboli, Alicudi and Filicudi. Ferries can sail in stormier conditions than hydrofoils, but even these are cancelled on occasion. However, as long as your schedule is not too tight, travelling around the islands out of season is perfectly feasible – especially if you base yourself on Vulcano, Lipari and Salina, taking side trips to remoter islands when conditions permit. Reliable sources for weather forecasts include web_icon windfinder.com.

DRIVING IN THE AEOLIANS

In a measure designed to cut down on the density of tourist traffic on the islands, cars are banned from Stromboli, Panarea and Alicudi. In July and August, cars belonging to non-residents can disembark from ferries to Lipari, Vulcano and Filicudi only if drivers can prove they are staying on the island for at least a week, whether in a hotel or in private accommodation. Ferry companies will ask for proof of a hotel booking before issuing tickets to those wanting to take their own car.

However, it’s easy enough to manage without your own transport. Lipari and Salina have a good bus network, while you can rent bicycles, mopeds and scooters on all the main islands, or simply walk around the smaller ones.

If you need to leave a car in Milazzo, you can do so at one of several garages, the most convenient of which are also listed here; expect to pay around €15 per day (worth negotiating for longer periods). Some offer a shuttle service to the port.

GARAGES

Central Garage Via Cumbo Borgia 60 tel_icon 090 928 2472. By the Duomo Nuovo, 5min from the port.

Mil Nautica Via Acquaviole 49 tel_icon 090 928 1912. South of the port, on the road to the train station.

Ullo Via Nino 40 tel_icon 090 928 3309. Signposted up Via Minniti from the port.

Lipari

LIPARI is the busiest, biggest and most diverse island in the Aeolian archipelago, with a long history of settlement and trade. The main town – also called Lipari – is a thriving little port, dominated by impressive castle walls that surround an upper citadel housing the bulk of the archeological remains and a terrific museum. The road that circles the island from town takes in several much smaller villages, some good beaches and excellent views out to the neighbouring islands, though development has not been carefully controlled. While parts of the island are beautiful and unspoilt, getting there inevitably means passing through villages cluttered with brassy holiday houses, or with rusting machinery and ghostly abandoned factories – relics of the island’s now defunct pumice mining industry.

Historically, it has always been Lipari that has guided the development of the Aeolians. In classical times, after obsidian had been superseded by metals, the island’s prosperity was based on its sulphur baths and thermal waters, while its alum, too, was much prized, and was found more abundantly here than anywhere else in Italy. More recently, its main industry was mining pumice – the reason why huge chunks of the mountains on the east coast are missing – but under the auspices of UNESCO this has now been banned, and today the economy is firmly based on tourism.

BOAT EXCURSIONS FROM LIPARI

Tour operators all over town offer year-round boat excursions, both around Lipari and to all the other islands, which offer an easy way to do some sightseeing without bothering about bus timetables and hydrofoil schedules. The boats mostly run from Marina Corta, but agencies are prominent at the main port too. Universally recommended is Da Massimo, Via Maurolico 2 ( tel_icon 090 981 3086, web_icon damassimo.it), where there will be someone who can speak English, and where boats are clean, well maintained, and have freshwater showers and canopies. Prices are pitched roughly the same everywhere, from €15 for a Lipari and Vulcano tour, €25 for Lipari and Salina, and from €30 from Lipari to Panarea and Stromboli. Da Massimo also work with the excellent Magmatrek for boat trips to Stromboli, including a night ascent of the volcano (from €70). If you want to rent a gommone (rubber boat) and putter around yourself, expect to pay around €100 per day for a 5m-long boat with shower and canopy and space for six people. Most operators also run beach shuttles in summer to good beaches on Lipari that are otherwise tricky to reach, like Praia Vinci.

Lipari Town

LIPARI TOWN is split into upper and lower sections. Virtually everything of historic interest lies in the upper town, or citadel, protected by the sturdy walls of the castle, while all the shops and services are in the lower town, mostly along and off the attractive, colourful main Corso Vittorio Emanuele, with the town’s two harbours at either end. The most impressive approach from lower to upper town is from Via Garibaldi, from which long steps cut straight up through the thick defensive walls, emerging right outside the Duomo.

Most of what remains of Lipari’s formidable citadel is sixteenth-century Spanish in style, though it incorporates fragments of earlier medieval and even Greek buildings. Until the eighteenth century, this upper zone was the site of Lipari town itself, which explains the presence of the island’s most important church, the Duomo, along with the dilapidated ruins of several other Baroque churches. Scattered in between are the excavations of superimposed layers of occupation, from the Neolithic to the Roman age, a continuous record covering almost two thousand years and a unique sequence that has allowed archeologists to date other Mediterranean cultures.

Parco Archeologico

Via Castello • Mon–Sat 9am–dusk • Free

At the southern end of the citadel walls, the Parco Archeologico has some Greek and Roman tombs on display, as well as a modern amphitheatre. It also makes a good place to lay out a picnic and enjoy the views over the rooftops and Marina Corta.

Museo Eoliano

Via Castello 2 • Daily 9am–1.30pm & 3–7pm • €6 • tel_icon 090 988 0174, web_icon www.regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/museolipari/pagina.asp

All the finds from the Parco Archeologico are displayed in Lipari’s superb Museo Eoliano, which is housed in various buildings on either side of the Duomo. Despite the official opening hours, most of the sections are usually only accessible in the mornings – only the Sezione Classica tends to keep the full opening times.

Sezione Classica

The Sezione Classica holds classical and Hellenic material retrieved from various necropoli, and includes re-creations of both a Bronze Age burial ground and of the Lipari necropolis (eleventh century BC), where bodies were either buried in a crouching position in large, plump jars or cremated and placed in bucket-shaped jars (situlae). Most eye-catching of all are the towering banks of amphorae, each 1m or so high, dredged from shipwrecks under Capo Graziano (Filicudi), many still encrusted with barnacles. There are also shelves of vases decorated in polychrome pastel hues – showing sacrifices, bathing scenes, mythical encounters and ceremonies – with many identified as those of an individual known as the Lipari Painter (300–270 BC) and his pupils and rough contemporaries. Other poignant funerary goods include toy vases and statuettes from the grave of a young girl, and delicate clay figurines of working women using mortar and pestle or washing children in a little bath.

The Sezione Classica, however, is best known for the oldest and most complete range of Greek theatrical masks in existence. Many are models, found in fourth-century BC graves, and covering the gamut of Greek theatrical life from the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides to satyr plays and comedies. One room has a collection of small terracottas grouped in theatrical scenes, while there are also statuettes representing actual dancers and actors – nothing less than early Greek pin-ups of the period’s top stars.

Sezione Preistorica

Set in the seventeenth-century bishop’s palace, the Sezione Preistorica traces the early exploitation of obsidian, made into blades and exported all over the western Mediterranean – glass cases contain mounds of shards, worked flints, adzes and knives. Meanwhile, the pottery finds from ancient burial sites allowed archeologists to follow the development of the various Aeolian cultures, as burial techniques became gradually more sophisticated and grave goods more elaborate – as in the lid of a mid-sixth-century BC bothros, or sacred repository of votive articles, embellished with a reclining lion.

The rest of the museum

Other museum sections cover subjects as diverse as vulcanology and Aeolian traditions and customs, while the Sezione Epigrafica contains a little garden of tombs and engraved stones, and a room packed with more inscribed Greek and Roman tombstones and stelae. Unless you’re really keen, though, there are diminishing returns to be had from soldiering on to the bitter end.

Corso Vittorio Emanuele

The Corso Vittorio Emanuele runs the length of the lower town – it is closed to traffic in summer during the evening passeggiata, when its cafés come into their own. Most of the gift shops are found along here, but tourism has never completely dominated life in Lipari, so among the carved obsidian trinkets, coral jewellery and Etna postcards there are still shops selling screwdrivers, fishing tackle and goldfish, along with a very useful supermarket and some great bakeries.

Marina Corta

Overlooked by parasol-shaded cafés and pastel-facaded palazzi, the little harbour of Marina Corta is the departure point for most boat excursions. There’s a beguiling and very photogenic little chapel right on the water (which is sometimes open for art exhibitions), while beyond the pavement cafés, steps climb up from the south side of the port into the narrow alleys and courtyards of the old fishing quarter.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: LIPARI TOWN

By ferry and hydrofoil Hydrofoils and ferries dock to either side of Marina Lunga (sometimes called Porto Sottomonastero), at the north end of town. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry and hydrofoil companies Dockside offices sell tickets and post timetables; for hydrofoils, Siremar ( tel_icon 090 981 2200) and Ustica Lines ( 090 981 2448) have ticket offices in the same building, just up from the gangways leading from the hydrofoils. For ferry tickets, Siremar ( 090 981 1312) have an office on the other side of the port, while NGI ( tel_icon 090 981 1955) sell tickets from a kiosk in the port car park.

Ferry destinations Alicudi (2–3 weekly; 4hr); Filicudi (2–3 weekly; 3hr); Ginostra (2–3 weekly; 3hr); Milazzo (5 daily; 2hr); Naples (2 weekly; 15hr); Panarea (2–3 weekly; 2hr); Santa Marina Salina (5 daily; 1hr); Stromboli (2–3 weekly; 3hr 40min); Vulcano (5 daily; 30min).

Hydrofoil destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 1hr 45min); Filicudi (2 daily; 1hr); Ginostra (1 daily; 1hr 30min); Messina (1 daily; 1hr 25min); Milazzo (14 daily; 1hr); Panarea (2 daily; 1hr); Rinella (9 daily; 30min–1hr); Santa Marina Salina (13 daily; 20–40min); Stromboli (2 daily; 1hr 45min); Vulcano (15 daily; 10min).

INFORMATION

Tourist information The tourist office, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 202 (Mon–Fri 8.30am–1.30pm, plus Mon, Wed & Fri 4–7.30pm; tel_icon 090 988 0095), is the most reliable place for information on all the islands, and can advise on accommodation, boat excursions and current events; there’s also lots of material in English on the website.

DIVING OFF LIPARI

The most spectacular dives in the Aeolians are off Panarea, Stromboli and Filicudi, all accessible on day-trips from Lipari. Closer at hand, there’s always plenty to see in the straits between Lipari and Vulcano. Many of the larger hotels can put you in touch with a diving school, or contact Diving Centre La Gorgonia, Salita S. Giuseppe, Marina Corta tel_icon 090 981 2616 or 335 571 7567, web_icon lagorgoniadiving.it). Single dives start at €30 (€50 including equipment); three dives from €85 (€125 including equipment), PADI courses from €350.

GETTING AROUND

By bus From Lipari Town, buses operated by Urso Guglielmo ( tel_icon 090 981 1262) run in two directions around the island: clockwise to Quattropani, and anticlockwise to Canneto, Porticello and Acquacalda. Services depart approximately every hour (every 15–30min in summer for Canneto, less often on all routes on Sun and outside July and Aug); nowhere is more than a 30min ride away. The bus stop is at Marina Lunga, opposite the petrol station and close to the quayside ticket agency. Current timetables are posted at the kiosk window; you can buy tickets on board, and tickets and information are also available from a booth at the port, directly across from the hydrofoil ticket office.

By bike, scooter and car Rental agencies line the dockside at Marina Lunga (the ferry and hydrofoil port); you’ll have to leave your passport, credit card or a hefty deposit as security. Bikes cost from €10/day, scooters €15–20, and small cars from €40 for most of the year, with prices skyrocketing in August.

ACCOMMODATION

HOTELS AND B&BS

Carasco Porto delle Genti tel_icon 090 981 1605, web_icon carasco.org. Superbly located three-star hotel, with its own terraces, rocky cove, good pool and sparkling views. There’s a wide range of rooms, though not all standard rooms have sea views. It’s out of the centre, but not too far from Portinente beach and the Marina Corta. Closed Nov–March. €220

Casajanca Marina Garibaldi 109, Canneto tel_icon 090 988 0222, web_icon casajanca.it. If you don’t mind being out at Canneto, you might prefer this boutique-style place to the resort hotels in town. It’s a charming townhouse hotel, three-star standard, 20m back from the beachfront promenade, with ten stylish rooms and personal service. You can also ask about their simpler B&B in Canneto. €200

author_pick Diana Brown Vico Himera 3 tel_icon 090 981 2584 or 338 640 7572, web_icon dianabrown.it. Run by a jovial South African and her Sicilian husband, this is a really friendly and well-organized B&B, located in a tiny lane parallel to Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Seven smart rooms have a/c, heating, fridges and kettles, while another five also have small kitchenettes, and there’s a great roof terrace where you eat breakfast. There’s wi-fi, a book exchange and laundry service available, while Diana and her family know lots about the island, and can advise about walks and boat tours. Breakfast is €5, though is not available in Aug. €100

Enza Marturano Via Maurolico 35 tel_icon 368 322 4997, web_icon enzamarturano.it. Four bright, modern rooms with a/c, cooking facilities and views, ranged around a communal lounge, with a terrace overlooking the Corso. No credit cards. €120

Enzo Il Negro Via Garibaldi 29 tel_icon 090 981 3163, web_icon enzoilnegro.com. “Enzo the black” takes its name from the bronzed owner’s local nickname. Just up from Marina Corta, its eight rooms, all with a/c and fridge, share one of the best private roof terraces in town. €100

Maria Villini Via Salina 27 tel_icon 090 981 2784. Nice little B&B with a shady roof terrace on a plant-filled, pedestrian-only alleyway off the main Corso Vittorio Emanuele. There are five rooms, two of which have cooking facilities, one with a private terrace. All guests have the use of a fridge, either in their room or in the corridor outside. €80

Tritone Via Mendolita tel_icon 090 981 1595, web_icon eolieexperience.it. This superior five-star on the southern edge of the town centre is the best of the resort-style hotels, set away from the town bustle amid quiet gardens, and extremely competitively priced. There’s a good pool, a lovely spa, a superb restaurant, and rooms all have a balcony or terrace. €280

author_pick Villa Meligunis Via Marte 7 tel_icon 090 981 2426, web_icon villameligunis.it. A converted palazzo, this elegant central four-star has excellent views of the citadel and sea from its rooftop restaurant, which sports a pool alongside. Rooms are tastefully turned out, many with sea views and balconies; there is also a beautifully restored eighteenth-century annexe with apartments. Apartments €130; rooms €168

HOSTEL AND CAMPSITE

Baia Unci Campeggio Via Marina Garibaldi s/n, Località Canneto tel_icon 090 981 1909, web_icon campingbaiaunci.it. The island’s only campsites is across from the long beach at Canneto, and has one-bedroom bungalows available, as well as tent pitches and its own bar and restaurant. Camping prices include water and parking space. No credit cards. Closed Oct–March. Camping €15 per person; bungalows €90

Baia Unci Canneto Via Marina Garibaldi s/n, Località Canneto tel_icon 090 981 1540, web_icon liparicasevacanze.it. A hostel next door to the island’s campsite, occupying a townhouse above the beach at the southern end of the seafront, with two five-bed dorm rooms sharing a kitchen and terrace area. Advance reservations are essential; their bus picks up guests from Lipari harbour. Closed Nov–March. Dorm beds €20

EATING AND DRINKING

There’s a fair choice of restaurants in Lipari town, though many close between October and March. Prices are on the high side, but a couple of the restaurants rank among the best in the archipelago. Bars along the Corso fill up from early evening onwards, as the passeggiata swings into action. Alternatively, for a drink with a sea view, head down to the Marina Corta where a line of tables belonging to late-opening bars spills out across the harbourfront.

RESTAURANTS

author_pick Il Filippino Piazza Municipio tel_icon 090 981 1002, web_icon eolieexperience.it. This stupendous fish restaurant – Lipari’s best, in business since 1910 – really knows its stuff. It’s in the upper town and has a shaded outdoor terrace where you can eat classy Aeolian specialities like borlotti bean, sardine and fennel soup, risotto nero (coloured with squid ink), grouper-stuffed ravioloni and local fish in a ghiotta sauce (tomatoes, onions, celery, capers and olives). Choose carefully and you might get away with €40 a head, though you could easily spend €70 – and more if you give any serious thought to the massive wine list. Daily lunch & dinner; closed mid-Nov to Dec, and Mon Oct–Nov & Jan–March.

author_pick Kasbah Café Vico Selinunte 45 tel_icon 090 981 1075, web_icon kasbahcafe.it. Chic but unpretentious restaurant with a beautiful garden; the Anglo-Aeolian owner will advise on the best ways to sample the fresh fish. Antipasti (€8–9) and primi (€10–12) make creative use of local ingredients – try treccine with local shrimps, aubergine and cherry tomatoes, or tagliolini with clams, zucchini flowers, basil and black pepper. They also make their own bread and the island’s best pizza (€6–8.50), using stone-ground flour. Daily dinner only; Oct–March closed Wed.

E’Pulera Via Diana tel_icon 090 981 1158, web_icon eolieexperience.it. A romantic courtyard-garden restaurant specializing in classic Aeolian food: swordfish involtini, caper salads, home-made pasta with wild fennel and prawns, almond biscuits and malvasia wine. The super cuisine is well worth the highish prices, and it stays open till late (kitchen closes at midnight). Expect to pay €40 plus per head excluding wine. Daily dinner only; closed Oct–March.

Di Vino in Vino 2 Via Garibaldi 34 tel_icon 090 988 0554. This enoteca serves full meals as well as snacks – ingredients are rigorously sourced and cooked by the owner’s wife. There’s pizza bianca, a wide range of inventive sandwiches and bruschetta, plates of salami, hams and cheeses served with home-made bread, figs, nuts, honey and jams (€14), and dishes such as paccheri with swordfish, mint and pistachio (€15), pasta with fresh Vulcano ricotta (€8), and spaghetti with mussels and prawns (€12). Fish of the day is €18, and desserts include a delectable strawberry or banana and rum tiramisu (€5). Conclude in style with cigars, fine rums and grappas. Daily 8am–3am; closed Dec–Feb.

CAFÉS AND BARS

Avant-Garde Corso Vittorio Emanuele 135 tel_icon 090 988 0505. You get a huge plate of nibbles here at evening aperitivo time, where there are tables outside (along with a rowdy TV), plus DJs and live jazz on most summer evenings. Daily 7am–late; closed mid-Jan to mid-Feb.

La Precchia Corso Vittorio Emanuele 191 tel_icon 090 981 1303. A cosy spot in winter for a glass of wine or any of a vast range of hot chocolates, from white chocolate to dark chocolate with chilli, chocolate and hazelnut or chocolate and orange – a treat if you’ve done the night trip to Stromboli. Not a bad place for breakfast, too. Daily 7am–late.

author_pick Subba Corso Vittorio Emanuele 92 tel_icon 090 981 1352. Open since 1930, this is the island’s best and most traditional café, with a nice shaded terrace at the rear in the square. Try Lulus, clouds of crema-filled choux pastry, or the pistachio- and almond-studded eoliana ice cream. Mon & Wed–Sun 7.30am–8.30pm, closes later in summer.

La Tavernella Corso Vittorio Emanuele 271 tel_icon 360 268 512. On the main Corso just round the corner from the port, this little tavola calda is perfectly located for a snack while you wait for a ferry or hydrofoil. Great spinach frittata, and a daily choice of pasta al forno and other hot dishes. Daily 8am–10pm.

Di Vino in Vino Corso Vittorio Emanuele 102 tel_icon 334 110 8455. This classy enoteca has a well-researched range of wines, along with hams and cheeses from the Nébrodi mountains (tasters of which appear with your glass of wine at aperitivo time). They also serve a choice of salads, bruschetta and toasted sandwiches. Daily 9am–late; closes early in winter, and for most of Feb.

ENTERTAINMENT

Theatre and live music Every summer (June–Sept), Lipari’s council sponsors several theatre performances and concerts, including some spectacularly sited events at the Teatro del Castello, the modern Greek-style theatre up at the citadel’s Parco Archeologico. Ask at the tourist office for details.

Festivals There are annual processions in town at Carnevale (Feb/March) and at Easter, but Lipari’s main festival, dedicated to the island’s patron, St Bartholomew, takes place over three days around August 24.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PORTO DI LEVANTE

By ferry and hydrofoil Ferries and hydrofoils dock at Porto di Levante, the main harbour; ticket offices are located near the dock. All ferries, and virtually all hydrofoils, stopping at Lipari also call at Vulcano. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry departures Alicudi (2–3 weekly; 3hr 30min); Filicudi (2–3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Ginostra (2–3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Lipari (5 daily; 35min); Milazzo (5 daily; 1hr 30min); Naples 2 weekly (15hr 30min); Panarea (2–3 weekly; 1hr 30min); Santa Marina Salina (5 daily; 1hr 30min); Stromboli (2–3 weekly; 3hr).

Hydrofoil departures Alicudi (1 daily; 1hr 45min); Filicudi (1 daily; 1hr 15min); Ginostra (1 daily; 1hr 15min); Lipari (15 daily; 10min); Messina (1 daily; 1hr 45min); Milazzo (14 daily; 40min); Panarea (2 daily; 50min); Rinella (9 daily; 1hr); Santa Marina Salina (13 daily; 40min); Stromboli (2 daily; 1hr 30min).

GETTING AROUND

By bus From the Porto di Levante dockside, buses run year-round to Piano (Mon–Sat 7–8 daily; 10min), and in summer to Gelso (mid-June to mid-Sept Mon–Sat 3 daily; 20min).

Bike and scooter hire Da Paolo ( tel_icon 090 985 2112) and Sprint ( 090 985 2208), in the centre of the village on the main Strada Comunale Porto Levante, rent out mountain bikes and scooters (€5/15 per day).

Boat tours The boat trips (around €15 per person) offered at the Porto di Levante in summer visit the caves and bays on the island’s west side.

The fanghi

Via Porto Levante snc • Easter–Oct daily 7am–9pm • €3

Located directly to the north of Porto di Levante, a brief walk between the multicoloured rock pinnacles, are the famed fanghi or mud baths, more exactly one pool containing a thick yellow soup of foul-smelling sulphurous mud, in which people flop belly-up, caking every centimetre of their bodies with the stuff. The smell is indescribable, and the degree of radioactivity makes it inadvisable to immerse yourself for any length of time, and unsuitable for young children or pregnant women. Avoid contact with the eyes (it stings mightily) and remove contact lenses as well as any silver or leather jewellery, which will be ruined just by coming into contact with the sand hereabouts. When you’ve had enough, hobble over to rinse yourself off in the nearby sea, where natural hot water springs bubble up. Note that outside of the summer season, you can just walk in and wallow for free.

The Gran Cratere

Daily daylight hours • €3 in summer • Follow the road immediately to the left of Porto di Levante dock for 500m or so until you’re directed off the road to the left and up the slope to the crater

Vulcano’s main crater, the Gran Cratere, is just to the south of Porto di Levante. It takes an hour to walk up to the crater, and it’s a toughish climb, on a slithery path that’s totally exposed to the sun – do it early or late in the day in the summer months, and wear strong shoes. The only vegetation consists of a few hardy gorse bushes on the lower slopes, nibbled at by goats whose bells echo across the scree. The first part of the path ascends a virtually black-sand dune before reaching the harder volcanic crust, where it runs above the rivulets caused by previous eruptions. Reaching a ledge with views over all the other Aeolian islands, you look down into the vast crater itself, where vapour emissions – acrid and yellow – billow from the surrounding surfaces. Follow the crater in an anticlockwise direction, so you are going downhill rather than up through the clouds of sulphurous emissions on the northern rim, where nerves are not exactly steadied by the admonitory notices at the start of the climb reading “Do not sit down, do not lie down”.

Porto di Ponente

A narrow neck of land separates Porto di Levante from Porto di Ponente, a fifteen-minute walk past the fanghi. Here, a perfect arc of fine black sand lines a bay looking onto the towering pillars of rock that rise out of the channel between Vulcano and Lipari. There are a couple of seafront cafés here, and some large hotels set back from the sands. From the beach, the only road heads north through the trees to Vulcanello, thrown up out of the sea in a famous eruption in 183 BC, and joined to the main island by another flurry of activity a few centuries later. The walk takes less than an hour.

ACCOMMODATION: PORTO DI PONENTE

author_pick Eden Park Via Porto Ponente 10 tel_icon 090 985 2120, web_icon isolavulcano.it. This agreeable holiday site, set in its own peaceful grounds on the south side of the bay and slightly inland, is by far the island’s best budget option. Campers can pitch tents on real grass, or even bivouac on the lawn, while there are also single-room apartments with terrace, shower and kitchen; and “economic” double rooms with two bunk beds and a shared bathroom. Note that prices double for ten days on either side of the ferragosto (Aug 10–20). Breakfast is available, and campers pay extra for showers. No credit cards. Closed Dec–Feb. Camping per person €16; double rooms €40; apartments €120

Orsa Maggiore Via Porto Ponente 4 tel_icon 090 985 2018, web_icon orsamaggiorehotel.com. It’s a few hundred metres from the black-sand beach, but this small hotel does have a very nice pool, surrounded with chic decking, terrace and gardens. Prices are raised by €40 overnight for ten days on either side of the ferragosto (Aug 10–20). Closed Nov–March. €140

Gelso

At the far south of Vulcano, 15km from Porto di Levante, the coastal hamlet of Gelso is named for the mulberries that grow here, along with capers. There’s a tiny patch of black sand (with a seasonal trattoria, Da Pina), and a better beach at Spiaggia dell’Asino, a larger cove accessible from a steep path which you’ll have passed on your way into Gelso. This is a great spot for a swim, with a summer café, and umbrellas and deckchairs available.

< Back to The Aeolian Islands

Salina

The ancient name of SALINA was Didyme, or “twin”, referring to the two volcanic cones that give the island its distinctive shape. Both volcanoes are long extinct, but their past eruptions, combined with plenty of ground water – unique in the Aeolians – have endowed Salina with the most fertile soil of all the islands. The slopes are verdant, the island’s tree cover contrasts strongly with the denuded crags of its neighbours, and both capers and malvasia grapevines – classic Aeolian staples – are vigorously cultivated. The island’s central position in the archipelago makes it a good alternative base to Lipari for exploring the others, while Salina itself holds a network of hiking trails, some good beaches and several distinct villages. Tourism here is fairly sophisticated, with some charming boutique-style accommodation and excellent restaurants, especially in the main port, Santa Marina Salina, and in the town of Malfa, but the island certainly isn’t a summer fleshpot like Vulcano or Panarea. It’s quieter, more relaxed and still very much part of the ebb and flow of traditional Aeolian life, which makes it many people’s favourite island.

There are two ports on Salina: Santa Marina Salina in the east and smaller Rinella on the south coast. Not all ferry and hydrofoil services call at both ports, so it’s essential to check timetables carefully if time is tight and connections crucial. There is, however, a regular bus service between both ports, vaguely timed to connect with arrivals, though if your boat is late, don’t expect the bus to have waited.

WALKING ON SALINA

There are well-maintained, waymarked hiking trails right across Salina, in particular to the heights of Monte Fossa delle Felci and the sanctuary of Madonna del Terzito. It’s great walking country, since most of the island has been zealously protected: wild flowers are much in evidence, and hunting and shooting are banned, which helps keep the bird numbers high.

For a good day out on the tops, first take the bus to the sanctuary – all buses except those between Malfa and Pollara pass right by. Madonna del Terzito is set in the saddle between the two peaks of Salina, with fine views over the sea. A signposted track leads up to the summit of Monte Fossa delle Felci (962m), the archipelago’s highest peak. It’s a steady climb through forest and mountain parkland, which takes the best part of two hours – only in the latter stages does it become tougher, with a final 100m clamber over rocks to reach the stone cairn and simple wooden cross at the top, from where the views are magnificent.

You can come back the same way to the sanctuary and catch the return bus, but signposts point out alternative approaches and descents to Malfa, Lingua or Santa Marina. However, not all the tracks are clear, they can be very steep, and soil erosion and the crumbling volcanic underlay can make getting a grip a tricky business, so if you are not an experienced walker, it’s best to stick to the main track. Count on another two hours back down, whichever descent you follow.

Santa Marina Salina

On the east coast, Santa Marina Salina is Salina’s main port and the location of most of the island’s services. A village of whitewashed Aeolian houses and elegant townhouses built in the nineteenth century by those who made their fortunes with Malvasia wine, it’s a relaxed place, with a couple of pebble beaches. A long lungomare reaches north from the harbour, running from the town beach to the more secluded Punta Barone, backed by the relics of an ancient Roman fish farm. Running parallel to the water but one block back, the narrow pedestrianized main street, Via Risorgimento, holds chic boutiques that mingle with grocery shops, fruit shops and butcher and baker. A couple of the gift shops sell a decent map of the islands.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: SANTA MARINA SALINA

By ferry and hydrofoil The Siremar ( tel_icon 090 984 3004) and Ustica Lines/NGI ( 090 984 3003) ticket offices stand close to the dock on the waterfront piazza, on either side of the church, and usually open 30min before sailings. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Hydrofoil destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 1hr 15min); Filicudi (1 daily; 40min); Ginostra (1 daily; 45min); Lipari (14 daily; 20min); Messina (1 daily; 2hr 35min); Milazzo (10 daily; 1hr 20min); Panarea (1 daily; 20min); Rinella (9 daily; 10min); Stromboli (1 daily; 1 hr); Vulcano (10 daily; 40min).

Ferry destinations Alicudi (2–3 weekly; 3hr 30min); Filicudi (2–3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Ginostra (2–3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Lipari (5 daily; 1hr); Milazzo (5 daily; 3–4hr); Naples (1 weekly; 13hr 30min); Panarea (2–3 weekly; 1hr 30min); Stromboli (2–3 weekly; 3hr); Vulcano (5 daily; 1 hr 30min).

Tourist information There is a seasonal tourist information point in Santa Marina (usually July & Aug daily 9am–1pm & 4–8pm), just up the hill from the piazza, on Via Cristofero Colombo, below Bar La Vela.

Services Santa Maria has a clinic with emergency doctors and ambulance, a pharmacy, the post office, an internet point and a bank with ATM (with another ATM on the seafront just beyond the Ustica Lines office).

GETTING AROUND

By bus The bus stop for Lingua is by the Siremar office; buses to Malfa, Rinella and Pollara stop on the other side of the piazza, right by the port, opposite the La Cambusa bar. Buses cover all points on the island; departures to all destinations are roughly every 90min, hourly in summer, and you pay on board. In winter you may have a lengthy wait in Malfa, the island hub, for an onward connection to Pollara or to Leni and Rinella.

By bike, moped and car Nino Bongiorno, Via Risorgimento 222 ( tel_icon 090 9843 409, web_icon rentbongiorno.it), at the beginning of the road to Lingua, rents bikes, mopeds and cars.

Boat tours Booths in the piazza by the port sell tickets for half-day cruises around the island (€25 per person), as well as day-trips further afield to Panarea and Stromboli, Filicudi and Alicudi, and Lipari and Vulcano (from €45 per person), all with plenty of chances for swimming and sightseeing stops.

ACCOMMODATION

I Cinque Balconi Via Risorgimento 38 tel_icon 090 094 3508, web_icon icinquebalconi.it. Simple rooms in a nineteenth-century townhouse on Santa Marina’s pedestrianized shopping street, whose most striking feature is the subtle, carefully preserved original floor tiles. Behind the hotel, you can while away afternoons in an enchanting secluded garden, shaded by citrus and fig trees. There are eight rooms, several with sea views, and in the evenings aperitivo is served at tables on the street outside. €150

author_pick Mamma Santina Via Sanità tel_icon 090 984 3054, web_icon mammasantina.it. The affable Mario presides over a highly personal, boutique-style restaurant-with-rooms, set on wide terraces above the town. The sixteen rooms are in bright seaside colours, with gorgeous Mediterranean tile floors and big bathrooms with walk-in showers, while guests can lounge in hammocks or around the pool. Call to be picked up from the port, or follow the signposts off Via Risorgimento (after no. 66). Closed mid-Dec to mid-March. €250

Mercanti di Mare Piazza Santa Marina 7 tel_icon 090 984 3536, web_icon hotelmercantidimare.it. Harbourfront three-star hotel with nine white, airy rooms and an attractive terrace overlooking the water. €200

Da Sabina Via Risorgimento 5c tel_icon 090 984 3134 or 333 272 6025, web_icon bbsalina.it. Classy B&B at the far end of the village from the port, a 10min walk from the centre. Three smart en-suite rooms open onto a big sea-view terrace, where breakfast is served. No credit cards. €140

EATING AND DRINKING

RESTAURANTS

Batana Via Rinascente 17 tel_icon 090 984 3311. A peaceful location above the port, sweeping views from an airy roofed terrace and engaging owners make this Santa Marina’s top choice for a relaxing meal or extended aperitivo. The food is excellent: the fritto misto (€10) of calamari, tiny ciciarelli and locally netted prawns is faultless, and the gently spiced and succulent swordfish kebab (€16) literally melts in the mouth. Desserts are all home-made, and include an apple crumble which may challenge your mum’s. Pizza too, from €4.50. Daily dinner only.

author_pick Mamma Santina Via Sanità tel_icon 090 984 3054. The restaurant at the lovely Mamma Santina hotel is a marvellous spot, with outdoor service for most of the year. The emphasis is on island specialities, like a grilled antipasto platter of vegetables and seafood, spaghetti with a pesto of fourteen herbs, or grilled sea bass (pasta from €10, fish from €14). Daily lunch & dinner; closed mid-Dec to mid-March.

Nni Lausta Via Risorgimento 188 tel_icon 090 984 3486. Cool bar-restaurant whose New York-trained owner-chef gives an adventurous twist to local dishes – try raw tuna dressed with wild fennel and capers, or crispy fish cakes made from the day’s catch. A full meal will cost at least €45 without wine, though you can just have a drink at the bar (until 2am) – €5 will buy you a glass of decent Salina wine, with crostini and home-made dips, pestos and salsas. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–March.

Porto Bello Via Lungomare 2 tel_icon 090 984 3125. Set right above the harbour, and with a terrace looking out to the lights of Lipari, this reliable and longstanding restaurant serves excellent local antipasti and is a good choice if you want to splash out. It’s worth trying the pasta al fuoco, with cherry tomatoes, chilli and grated oven-baked ricotta, or the raw prawns with a yogurt salsa (€16). Main courses include standards such as deep-fried squid (€16), but this is a place to go for the catch of the day (priced by weight at €75 per kilo). If they have scorfano (scorpion fish), ask to have it hard-fried, otherwise owner Teodoro or his son Dario will recommend a fish and cooking method that suits. A four-course meal will cost at least €50 without wine. Daily lunch & dinner; closed winter.

CAFÉS AND BARS

Papagayo Piazza Santa Marina tel_icon 333 141 0974. Minuscule bar owned by a local sculptor, with a terrace that spills out onto Santa Marina’s seafront piazza. Good music, generous cocktails and a laidback vibe – this is the kind of place where spontaneous parties develop. Olives, crostini and local cheeses to accompany drinks at aperitivo time. Daily usually 6pm–late.

Portobello Sea Lounge Via Lungomare 2 tel_icon 090 984 3125. With its whitewashed walls and white-resin floors, sea terrace, chilled soundtrack and driftwood decor, this is Santa Marina’s most chic hangout, though service can be lackadaisical at times. Cocktails are served with an array of snacks of a quality you’d expect of one of the island’s best restaurants. For once, they are served at your table, instead of the usual buffet. If you’re lucky there will be tuna carpaccio, a delectable aubergine parmigiana, crostini with caponata, and courgette-flower fritters. Daily 6.30pm–late.

La Vela Via Risorgimento 135 tel_icon 090 984 3541. Great hazelnut pastries, along with traditional biscuits featuring lots of almonds, pistachios and a sticky cedro (citrus) jam; cannoli are filled to order. There’s also a decent range of savoury snacks such as arancini and pizza, all best enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the sea. Daily: summer 7.30am–late; winter 7.30am–1pm & 4–8pm.

Lingua

Three kilometres to the south of Santa Marina, Lingua is a prettier base, and its traffic-free waterfront makes it ideal if travelling with young children. It’s connected to Santa Marina by bus, though the undulating road makes a fine forty-minute stroll, weaving around the coves in between the two settlements. Lingua itself is not much more than a seafront promenade and a narrow beach, backed by a tiny cluster of hotels and trattorias facing the shore of Lipari. At the end of the road is the salt lagoon from which Salina takes its name, and a car park where locals used to gather after bumper anchovy catches to salt fish en masse. Overlooking the lake, two typical Aeolian houses have been converted into museums: a small ethnographic museum (May–Oct Tues–Sun 9am–1pm & 3–6pm; free) holds examples of rustic art and island culture – mainly kitchen utensils and mill equipment, much of it fashioned from lava rock, while the archeological museum (May–Oct Tues–Sun 9am–6pm; free) has finds from Bronze Age and Roman Salina.

ACCOMMODATION: LINGUA

A Cannata Via Umberto I tel_icon 090 984 3161 or 339 575 4240, web_icon acannata.it. Set a few metres back from the sea near the church, there are simple rooms above a decent restaurant, and several apartments of various sizes and styles to rent around the village, starting from around €500 a week in mid-season (€350 in low). Rooms €120

Il Delfino Via Marina Garibaldi 5 tel_icon 090 984 3024, web_icon ildelfinosalina.it. Smart new rooms with marvellous terraces and views, set back from Lingua’s lungomare; and older rooms opening directly onto it, which are a good bet if you have children. €160

Il Gambero Piazza Marina Garibaldi tel_icon 090 984 3049, web_icon gamberosalina.it. Above Il Gambero restaurant, the three simple, sparkling rooms with bathrooms here share a fabulous terrace with 360-degree views of Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli and Monte Fossa. The family live half the year in Australia, so speak perfect English. €100

La Salina Borgo di Mare Via Manzoni tel_icon 090 984 3441, web_icon lasalinahotel.com. This impressive four-star hotel is set in the restored buildings of the old salt-works, by Lingua’s lagoon. The lovely rooms are individually furnished, and most have sea views and private terraces, while public areas are enhanced by traditional tiles and stonework. There’s good swimming from below the hotel, with sunbeds set out on the rocks. No restaurant, but you can eat at nearby Il Gambero on a half-board basis (an extra €30 per person). €220

Villaggio Eoliano Via Umberto I 52 tel_icon 335 666 0777 or 329 796 6120. A tiny complex of funky apartments on the main road through the village, overlooking the lagoon, which offers some of the best-value accommodation on the island. Lovely owners, and lots of cats. Closed Oct–April. €80

EATING AND DRINKING

author_pick Da Alfredo Piazza Marina Garibaldi tel_icon 090 984 3075. Right on the seafront piazza, this little café is famous throughout Italy for its fresh fruit granitas – the summer yachties and boat-trippers queue up for a taste. The other speciality is pane cunzato, a huge round of grilled bread piled with various combinations of home-cured tuna, capers, tomatoes, baked ricotta and olives (€8–11). Daily 8am till last customer leaves; closed Dec–Easter.

Il Delfino Via Marina Garibaldi 5 tel_icon 090 9843 024, web_icon ildelfinosalina.it. Lovely restaurant, with tables on the Lungomare, well known for its antipasto buffet (arrive around 8pm to make the most of it). The signature dish is the stuffed calamari braised with onions and malvasia wine (€15), but check out daily specials as well. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Dec–Easter.

Il Gambero Piazza Marina Garibaldi tel_icon 090 984 3049. This restaurant serves excellent fish – try the mixed fish antipasto (€15) and involtini di pesce spada (€15) – as well as pizza and pane cunzato, and all-day snacks and aperitivo in summer. There’s also a fixed-price menu at €15 (€20 in Aug). Daily lunch & dinner; closed Dec–Easter.

Malfa

Six kilometres from Santa Marina, reached along Salina’s sole, tortuous coast road, Malfa is the island’s biggest village, spilling down from the gentle, neatly cultivated vineyards on the lower slopes of Monte Fossa. At the centre of the village is the main church and a large piazza with views out to sea, inlaid with a rosa dei venti or compass rose, which names the eight prevailing Mediterranean winds.

A devilishly twisting road runs down from here to the port, across which cuts a more direct series of paths and steps. A little further along, by the Punta Scario hotel, steps lead down to Malfa’s boulder beach, Punta Scario, picturesquely backed by vertiginous cliffs. In summer there is an appealing little beach bar here selling cold drinks, sandwiches and pane cunzato, as well as renting out mattresses, lilos and umbrellas.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: MALFA

By bus The bus stops on the main road by the bank, then down in the village by the main piazza, and again a few hundred metres below, directly above the path that leads down to Punta Scario beach.

Tourist information In summer an enterprising somebody usually opens a little information office somewhere along Malfa’s main street.

Boat tours There are booths in the main piazza with information on boat tours around the island and to other islands. If you’re confident enough to putter about yourself, you can rent a small gommone (rubber dinghy) in the port for a day or half-day (from €40 per half-day, excluding petrol).

ACCOMMODATION

Capo Faro tel_icon 090 984 4330, web_icon capofaro.it. Some 3km east of Malfa at the Tasca d’Almerita malvasia wine estate, the stunning, contemporary rooms here occupy seven Aeolian-style houses that look down across the vineyards. Facilities are top-notch, from magnificent pool to classy bar and restaurant, and you can tour the vineyards on request. No children under 12. €370

author_pick Signum Via Scalo 15 tel_icon 090 984 4222, web_icon hotelsignum.it. Style and luxury deftly balanced with friendly and relaxed service – island hotels don’t come much better than this. Thirty comfortable rooms (some classed as superior and deluxe) display a seamless blend of antique furniture and contemporary style and have either terraces or balconies, sea or garden views. Night swimming in the splendid infinity pool and catching sight of Stromboli’s eruptions across the water takes some beating, and the exquisite spa, tapping into a hot volcanic spring, is also not to be missed. €300

EATING AND DRINKING

A Lumeredda Via San Lorenzo tel_icon 090 984 4130. Hidden down one of Malfa’s myriad flower-lined alleyways, this is exactly what an island restaurant should be – relaxed and unpretentious with wooden tables on a simple, shady terrace. Come for a deftly cooked crispy-edged pizza (from €4.50), and a carafe of house wine or a beer, and for once you won’t break the bank. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Dec–Easter.

Maracaibo Punta Scario beach (no phone). Beach hut with a shady, flower-filled covered terrace serving a couple of kinds of fresh fruit granitas (usually lemon and watermelon), plus salads (€4–6) and sandwiches (€3.50–4) that make copious use of local ingredients such as capers, sun-dried tomatoes and tuna. Daily mid-morning till sunset; closed winter.

Ravesi Via Roma 6 tel_icon 090 984 4385, web_icon hotelravesi.it. Good drinks and a help-yourself buffet of nibbles served in the candlelit garden of this elegant hotel – a must for aperitivo junkies. In mid-Aug there’s a programme of aperitivo-hour concerts. Daily 7–9pm; closed winter.

author_pick Signum Via Scalo 15 tel_icon 090 984 4222, web_icon hotelsignum.it. Enthusiastic, attentive staff and great cooking ensure dinner at Signum is always special: candlelit and subdued, but refreshingly relaxed. Let sommelier Vincenzo guide your choice of wine – he’ll listen to exactly what you like, and come up with one of the cellar’s real treasures. Signature dishes include an unguent sformata of raw prawns with pistachios; the crispest, lightest and most succulent fish polpette imaginable; and home-made ravioli stuffed with ricotta, orange and lemon zest, sprinkled with finely chopped lemon leaves. Fish of the day will depend on what’s in season. Hotel guests have priority, but it is worth phoning early to get on the waiting list. Expect to pay at least €50 per head. Easter–Oct daily lunch & dinner.

Pollara

Just above Malfa, a minor road (served by several buses a day) snakes off west to secluded POLLARA, raised on a cliff above the sea and occupying a crescent-shaped crater from which Salina’s last eruption took place some 13,000 years ago. Scenes from Michael Radford’s 1994 film Il Postino were shot in a house here and down on the narrow beach at the base of cliffs below the village, but film pilgrims and the many boat tours that pitch up here have caused severe erosion over the years, and the beach has recently been closed. You can swim instead from ramps in front of the so-called balate, caves in which fishermen traditionally kept their boats and equipment; or clamber and splash along the rocky coast to more private swimming spots. In summer two enterprising locals rent kayaks, lilos, mattresses and sun umbrellas at the ramps.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: POLLARA

Al Cappero Pollara Via Chiesa 38 tel_icon 090 984 3968. Simple, family-run place, with something of a Greek taverna feel, where you should be sure to arrive in time to watch the sun sink over the isles of Filicudi and Alicudi. Frittelle di zucchine (deep-fried courgette fritters) come free, after which there will be two or three pasta dishes of the day (€7–10), inevitably including one dressed with a pesto of their own capers. Fish (€8–12) comes grilled or fried, but the signature dish is a tasty coniglio in agrodolce (€12), rabbit stewed in a typical Sicilian sweet-sour sauce. Wines from €12. Daily lunch & dinner.

La Locanda del Postino Via Picone 10 Pollara tel_icon 090 984 3958, web_icon lalocandadelpostino.it. A great choice if you want to turn your back on the world and collect sunsets. The best rooms are no. 7 and no. 10, with large, private terraces (terraces of other rooms are divided by potted planes and are pleasant but lack privacy). Discounts for longer stays. Dinner is €35 per person à la carte with water and house wine included. Specialities include linguine with local wild fennel, anchovies, pine nuts, raisins and toasted breadcrumbs; and fresh fish, with set dishes costing around €14 and whole fish priced at €40 per kilo. You could also come for an aperitivo with snacks – timed to coincide with sunset. Restaurant daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–Easter. €200

L’Oasi Piazza Sant’Onofrio (no phone). Set in an immobile caravan, Pollara’s only bar offers home-made lemon and watermelon granitas, along with wine, beer, soft drinks, ice cream and sandwiches (€3–4.50), plus salads making good use of local capers and tomatoes. It is also a nice place to come and watch the sunset over an aperitivo (€5 for a drink and finger food). There is a shady terrace – position yourself at the back, and you can keep an eye on the hairpin road for the arrival of the bus – it takes at least 5min for the bus to make its way down to the village: plenty of time to finish your drink. Daily 9.30am–9.30pm; closed winter.

Valdichiesa and Leni

In the saddle between Salina’s two mountains, sprinkled between malvasia vineyards and smallholdings of fruit trees and vegetables, Valdichiesa is lush, cool and green all year. Dominated by the twin-towered church of Santa Maria del Terzito, this sparse scattering of whitewashed houses is also the starting point for the easiest ascent of Monte Fossa, the trailhead kicking off from directly behind the church. There is also a paved track below the church running down to the port and beach of Rinella, via the village of Leni. There are no shops or bars, making it the most peaceful place to stay on the island – even in high summer. The silence is shattered just once a year, on July 21–22, when the festival of Madonna del Terzito is celebrated with the usual music, market, fireworks and dancing.

The village of Leni, a couple of kilometres beyond, spills along a ridge above Rinella. Though not quite as away-from-it-all as Valdichiesa, it has an appealingly sleepy feel, and fantastic views over to Lipari and Vulcano.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: VALDICHIESA

Vacanza a Salina Via Piano Croce tel_icon 331 575 2677, web_icon vacanzeasalina.it. Simple, tasteful studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens in a traditional winemaker’s house, set in a garden with lovely views of the valley and the distant sea. Utterly peaceful, and owners who respect guests’ privacy. Studios and one-bed apartments €50

Agriturismo Galletta Via Ruvoli 7 tel_icon 333 367 1706. The restaurant of this simple agriturismo gives a gutsy taste of traditional Aeolian life, surrounded by vineyards, vegetable gardens and fruit trees. There are six simple rooms with en-suite bathrooms, and a kids’ playground, but it’s best as a place to eat (daily lunch & dinner). The owners keep island traditions alive, preserving fruit and veg, making wine and, in summer, cooking up tomato sauce on their terrace in huge cauldrons. Pasta dishes kick off at €6 for a simple spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, and you’ll pay €8–10 for pasta with home-made caper pesto, or with swordfish, capers, tomatoes, olives, aubergine, pine nuts and wild mint. The outstanding choice is the grilled lamb seasoned with local herbs (€12), though there are fish dishes as well, including stuffed calamaretti (€12). Follow it with a salad, and wind up with a home-made liqueur of wild fennel, wild mint or apple and rose petal (€3). Book in advance in low season. Rooms €80

Rinella

On the island’s south coast, 15km from Santa Marina, the tiny port of RINELLA consists of a cluster of houses, a sandy beach and a quay at the very bottom of a steep and winding road. It has clear water, and the beach is popular, so it gets a fair number of visitors in summer, though it’s otherwise rather remote in feel. To escape the crowds, take the path from behind the former campsite (recognisable by several half-constructed concrete structures) to the stone boulder beach of Praia Venezia. The walk takes about twenty minutes, and there is a bar en route in the summer.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: RINELLA

By ferry and hydrofoil Rinella is Salina’s second port, and first port of call if you are arriving from Palermo, Filicudi or Alicudi. The ticket office is on the dock, right by the bus stop. Buses call here several times a day, but don’t always coincide with ferries and hydrofoils, so unless you have accommodation in Rinella, it’s far better to disembark at Santa Marina. Note that the services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 2hr 20min); Filicudi (1–2 daily; 1hr 10min); Ginostra (1 daily; 2hr); Lipari (1–2 daily; 1hr 40min); Milazzo (1–2 daily; 1hr 35min–2hr); Santa Maria Salina (6 daily; 10min); Naples (1 weekly; 13hr 30min); Panarea (1 daily; 1hr 15min); Stromboli (1 daily; 4hr); Vulcano (1–2 daily; 2hr 20min).

Hydrofoil destinations Alicudi (2 daily; 1hr); Filicudi (2 daily; 25min); Ginostra (1 daily; 2hr 45min); Lipari (10 daily; 25min); Messina (1 daily; 2hr 20min); Milazzo (7 daily; 1hr 40min); Panarea (1 daily; 2hr 20min); Santa Marina Salina (6 daily; 10min); Stromboli (1 daily; 3hr); Vulcano (8 daily; 25min–1hr).

ACCOMMODATION

L’Ariana Via Rotabile tel_icon 090 980 9075, web_icon hotelariana.it. A hotel and restaurant above the port to the left, occupying an old villa with a frill of terracotta busts around its roof. The interior doesn’t quite live up to expectations – and high-season rates are not worth paying – but the location is unbeatable, and it’s just a couple of minutes’ walk from the sandy beach. €168

EATING AND DRINKING

L’Ariana Via Rotabile tel_icon 090 980 9075, web_icon hotelariana.it. Bar Papero run a laidback aperitivo bar on the terrace below the hotel in the evenings, with occasional live jazz and DJ sets. It’s an excellent place for sunset watching, and those who can’t be bothered to change out of their beach clothes won’t feel out of place. Daily 11am–late; closed winter.

author_pick Bar Papero Piazzetta Anna Magnani (no phone). Run with verve and passion by three siblings, this friendly bar does a great tavola calda of home-cooked food (and yummy cakes for afterwards), ideal for lunch or an after-beach aperitivo. Opening hours are flexible and closing times depend on clients. Daily from early morning till evening.

Chiosco Punta Megna Via Pra Venezia snc tel_icon 339 612 4585. With a shady terrace and sea views, this wooden kiosk above Praia Venezia serves reasonably priced chilled soft drinks and beer, along with sandwiches and salads. Book ahead, and they will stay open to barbecue you a simple dinner of grilled fish, salad, wine and seasonal fruit (€20 per head, or €25 with a pasta course). Daily mid-morning until sunset.

Da Marco Via Rotabile tel_icon 090 980 9120. Just up the road from L’Ariana, this excellent pizzeria offers some inspired inventions involving wild fennel fronds from about €5. Easter–Nov daily lunch & dinner; limited opening in winter.

Seaside Via Rotabile tel_icon 090 980 9206. Highly recommended granitas, especially fig (€2.50) or malvasia (€3), along with mega salads (€7–13) and an excellent tavola calda – try the stuffed escarole (€6) if they have it. Opening hours revolve around the arrival and departure of hydrofoils. Daily early morning till late.

Le Tre Pietre Via Rotabile 72 tel_icon 090 980 9081. Amiable restaurant and pizzeria; the TV is always on, and it serves up a nice line in fresh fish. Antipasti include simple island staples such as anchovies with capers (€5), while among the spaghetti dishes (€6–10), there are several with an authentic Aeolian feel – try the finochietto, dressed with a pesto of wild fennel. The fish menu depends on the day’s catch, but the island speciality of polpette di totano (deep-fried patties of flying squid) is a regular feature. March–Nov daily lunch & dinner.

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Panarea

Only 3km by 1.5km, PANAREA is the smallest, loveliest and, sadly, the most painfully stylish and ridiculously expensive of the Aeolians: in summer, its harbours, hotels and villas overflow with an international crowd of designers, models, pop stars, actors, royalty and their lackeys. In low season, however, the island is an utter delight. Come in spring or autumn and you’ll find accommodation prices relatively sane and beaches and bays uncrowded, while the weather should be cool enough to follow the path that hugs the entire length of Panarea’s fractured coastline, one of the most stunning anywhere in Italy.

Cars are banned, and the only transport is by Vespa or electric golf car. Panarea’s couple of hundred year-round inhabitants live in three linked hamlets on the eastern side of the island, Iditella, San Pietro and Drauto, with the boats docking at San Pietro.

BOAT TOURS AND DIVES AROUND PANAREA

The islets and rocks off Panarea make for a great day out. You can either go on a tour (from around €15 per person) – there’ll be plenty of time for swimming – or rent your own boat (from around €100 for a half-day excluding fuel). Check out the seafront kiosks at San Pietro or look for the signs advertising “Noleggio barche” (boat rental) in nearly every bar, shop and restaurant.

The nearest of the islets to Panarea, Dattilo, points a jagged, pyramidal finger skyward and has a minuscule beach. There’s better swimming at Lisca Bianca, the stark setting of Antonioni’s 1960 film L’Avventura, where the tranquil water is sheltered by Bottaro opposite. Just offshore, submarine fumaroles, created during the last major eruption of Stromboli in 2002, send columns of bubbles rising to the surface – a great snorkelling experience – though check before leaving if access is permitted, as gas emissions can occasionally be dangerous. Nearby Lisca Nera and Le Formiche (The Ants) are mere wrinkles on the sea surface, albeit a constant hazard to shipping. The largest islet is Basiluzzo, which retains the remains of a Roman fort and port (the latter now submerged) but is currently only used for caper cultivation.

There are some great dives too: take a day out with Amphibia ( tel_icon 335 613 8529, web_icon amphibia.it) to see what appears to be a submarine snowstorm – the water is full of blobs of a weird white bacteria that grows on sulphur and has the consistency of eggwhite – and to dive the remains of a British cargo ship deliberately sunk during the Depression as an insurance scam – for the past fifteen years it has been inhabited by a giant fish (about 80kg). Amphibia also offers introductory and PADI diving courses, plus snorkelling and children’s activities.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP STROMBOLI ERUPTION; PANAREA; MUD BATHS, VULCANO

San Pietro and Iditella

The core of Panarea’s settlement is San Pietro, tucked onto gentle terraces and backed by gnarled outcrops of rock. It’s here that you’ll find most of the accommodation, restaurants and facilities, while just to the north, passing through Iditella, you’ll see evidence of volcanic activity in the steaming gas emissions (fumarole) on the sand-and-pebble beach below here, the Spiaggia Fumarole, or Calcara.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SAN PIETRO AND IDITELLA

By ferry and hydrofoil All boats dock at San Pietro harbour, where the Siremar ( tel_icon 090 983 007) and Ustica Lines ( 090 983 344) ticket offices are almost next door to each other. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Ginostra (2 weekly; 1hr 40min); Lipari (2 weekly; 1hr); Milazzo (2 weekly; 3hr 40min); Naples (12hr 15min); Stromboli (2 weekly; 1hr); Vulcano (2 weekly; 1hr 40min).

Hydrofoil destinations Ginostra (2 daily; 25min); Lipari (4 daily; 50min); Milazzo (4 daily; 1hr 40min); Rinella (1 daily; 35min); Santa Marina Salina (2 daily; 25min); Stromboli (2 daily; 35min); Vulcano (4 daily; 1hr 20min).

By helicopter If they don’t have their own yacht, celebs use Air Panarea’s helicopter service ( tel_icon 090 983 4428 or 340 366 7214, web_icon airpanarea.com), which runs a summer scheduled service from Reggio di Calabria airport (from €200 one-way), plus panoramic fly-overs of Stromboli and the other islands.

INFORMATION

Tourist information Although there’s no tourist office, you can get information at web_icon panarea.com (in Italian), which has links to a few hotels and rooms places.

Services San Pietro has a pharmacy, an ATM and a summer-only police post and guardia medica, while in the warren of alleys behind the harbour is a little supermarket, two or three alimentari and a bakery. The little electric buggies down at the harbour act as taxis. However, all the hotels provide a free pick-up service.

ACCOMMODATION

Lisca Bianca Via Lani, San Pietro tel_icon 090 983 004, web_icon liscabianca.it. This typical Aeolian building – covered wide terraces, blue shutters, white walls – has some gorgeous views, with stylish rooms overlooking either the sea or the bougainvillea-clad gardens and port. You can see Stromboli from the breakfast terrace, and the bar is one of the best on the island. If you can avoid August, prices aren’t too bad at all; check the website for deals. Closed Nov–March. €210

Pippo and Maria Soldini Via Iditella, Iditella tel_icon 090 983 061 or 334 703 5010. Up the hill behind the port in Iditella, beyond the Carabinieri barracks, the rooms here are one of the least expensive places to stay on Panarea. They are spotlessly clean, have their own terraces, are set in a garden, and out of season owners Pippo and Maria will cook for you. €90

Quartara Via San Pietro, San Pietro tel_icon 090 983 027, web_icon quartarahotel.com. Very classy four-star boutique hotel run by a cheerful family, whose thirteen fashionable rooms have elegant wood furniture and stone floors. A terrace jacuzzi out the back overlooks the port and there’s a well-regarded restaurant. Closed Nov to March. €360

Raya Via San Pietro, San Pietro tel_icon 090 983 013, web_icon hotelraya.it. Opened in the 1960s, this is the hotel that put Panarea on the party map, and it remains the hippest, sexiest and most expensive hotel in Sicily – even though the owner’s refusal to install TVs and telephones means that it has only two stars. It’s built entirely of natural materials, and the food is organic, though its claim to be a simple retreat for nature lovers seems a little disingenuous when the place is crawling with party animals. Rooms (whitewashed walls, teak furniture, hand-batiked textiles, citronella candles) are built into the hillside above the village, with great views to the sea over groves of olives, hibiscus and bougainvillea; there are also some cheaper rooms in town above the Raya’s boutique. €540

EATING AND DRINKING

Da Adelina Via Comunale Mare, San Pietro 28 tel_icon 090 983246. Intimate candlelit restaurant with a romantic roof terrace overlooking Panarea’s port. Relaxing and unpretentious, with a simple menu of seasonal dishes such as moscardini (tiny octopus cooked with tomato, capers, wild fennel and chilli; €14) appearing alongside year-round dishes like pennette adelina, dressed with anchovies, aubergine, capers, olives, mint and basil (€10). For the main course opt for the mixed fish of the day, either fried or grilled (€18). Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–Feb.

Da Francesco Via San Pietro, San Pietro tel_icon 090 983 023, web_icon dafrancescopanarea.com. Overlooking the harbour, and pretty good value for meals of pasta (around €12), including the signature dish “disgraziata”, with peppers, chilli, capers, olives, aubergine, tomatoes and baked ricotta, plus fish from €15. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Dec–Feb.

Da Paolino Via Iditella 75, Iditella tel_icon 090 983 008. A 10min walk north of the port towards Iditella, this family-run restaurant has a terrace with fine views of Stromboli. You’ll spend quite a bit if you eat a whole meal, but you can have a very unpretentious meal of pasta and salad and a glass of wine here for around €25 – try the rich mille baci pasta with greens (€10); and the fish is whatever the family has caught that day. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–March.

Drauto and Zimmari beach

South of San Pietro through the tangle of lanes, a gentle thirty-minute stroll above the coast leads to the mainly stone beach below Drauto. Just beyond here, the path descends to Zimmari, a popular, dark-gold sandy beach – the only one on the island – overlooked by a seasonal (and expensive) bar-trattoria. Steps at the far end of the beach climb up and across to the headland of Punta Milazzese, passing the trailhead of a waymarked path (look for the signposts) that wends into Panarea’s interior, passing below the island’s highest peak, the craggy Punta del Corvo (421m), before descending back to San Pietro – a hike of two to three hours on a path that is easy to follow.

ACCOMMODATION: DRAUTO

Albergo Girasole Via Drauto tel_icon 090 983 018 or 328 861 8595, web_icon hotelgirasole-panarea.it. Family-run hotel out on the way to the sandy beach at Zimmari. Great place to stay in low season, but even this part of the island is chocca in August, the skinny road buzzing with electric cars and motorini. €220

Villaggio Preistorico

Beautifully situated on a craggy headland above Zimmari, atop Punta Milazzese and overlooking two rocky inlets, the Villaggio Preistorico is the archipelago’s best-preserved Bronze Age village. The 23 huts here were discovered in 1948, and the oval outlines of their foundation walls are easily visible. The site is thought to have been inhabited since the fourteenth century BC, and pottery found here (displayed in Lipari’s museum) shows a distinct Minoan influence – fascinating evidence of a historical link between the Aeolians and Crete that goes some way towards corroborating the legends of contact between the two in ancient times.

Cala Junco

Steps descend from Punta Milazzese to Cala Junco, a spectacular stony cove whose aquamarine water, scattered stone outcrops and surrounding coves and caves make it a popular spot for snorkelling.

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Stromboli

The most spectacular of all the Aeolian Islands, STROMBOLI is little more than a volcanic cone thrust out of the sea. It’s very much alive and kicking, throwing up showers of sparks and flaring rock from the craters every twenty minutes or so, while a handful of more serious eruptions over the last century have caused major lava flows. That of 1930 led to serious damage to many homes and sparked a spate of emigration from the island, while threatening eruptions in 2002 and 2003 spewed volcanic rock into the sea, spawning tsunami and ejecting rocks onto rooftops. In 2007, two new craters opened on the summit, creating new lava streams into the sea, and in July 2010 fiery boulders set the mountain alight, though the fire was swiftly extinguished. A flow of lava is often visible from afar, slowly sliding down the northwest side of the volcano into the sea.

Amazingly, perhaps, people have chosen to live here for centuries, reassured that, historically, the main lava flows have been confined to the channel of the Sciara del Fuoco, down the western side of the island. This leaves the eastern parishes of San Vincenzo, San Bartolo and Piscità (often grouped together simply as Stromboli village), and the solitary southern community of Ginostra, to lead something of a charmed life, their white terraced houses adorned with bougainvillea, plumbago and wisteria, remote from the fury of the craters above. The island’s permanent population numbers perhaps five hundred, plumbing is often rudimentary, and access sometimes restricted because of winter storms, but despite this, Stromboli has become a chic resort, attracting an eclectic moneyed crowd that ranges from gay fashionistas to hip intellectuals, a mix leavened with a generous dose of holidaying families and hardy mountain types. Its black-sand beaches are overlooked by attractive terraced hotels, while thrill-seekers come from all over the world to climb one of the planet’s most accessible volcanoes.

CLIMBING STROMBOLI’S VOLCANO

Climbing Stromboli’s volcano is big business. Public access was only reopened in 2005 (after the eruptions of preceding years), and while you can freely walk along the trails below 400m, you have to be accompanied by a licensed guide to go any higher. Numbers at the crater are also limited, so it’s essential to reserve a place on an organized excursion (around €30) as soon as you can – calling on the day is usually fine for most of the year, but advanced booking is advised in high summer – and be prepared for the trip to be postponed because of poor weather or other climatic or geological reasons. You need to be in decent health, have proper hiking boots and clothes (you can rent these in the village), and carry plenty of water and sun protection. Guides usually supply helmets.

If you want to see eruptions without the effort or expense of climbing to the summit, follow the track a few minutes’ walk beyond San Bartolo church at the far end of Piscità, climbing to the first orientation point, L’Osservatorio, a bar-pizzeria (closed in winter) which has a wide terrace and a view of the volcano. Beyond, you’ll see the frighteningly sheer Sciara del Fuoco lava outflow plunging directly into the sea. This is a huge blistered sheet down which thousands of years’ worth of volcanic detritus has poured, scarring and pock-marking the hillside. Menacing little puffs of steam dance up from folds in the bare slope, where absolutely nothing grows.

THE CLIMB

Most excursions leave in the late afternoon, taking around five or six hours – this lets you catch the amazing sunsets and gives you around an hour or so at the top, watching the fireworks. The ascent takes three hours, and you are expected to go at a fair whack; at first, it’s no different from walking up any mountain, then suddenly all vegetation stops, giving way to black ash strewn with small jagged boulders spewed out by the volcano. Once at the top, all you see at first are clouds of white steam – then suddenly there will be a resounding clash, the clouds glow red, and spouts of fire shoot up into the air, the glowing boulders drawing tracks of red light across the night sky. The descent takes around two hours – for the most part trudging down a steep slope of lava-sand.

GUIDES, EQUIPMENT AND INFORMATION

Gruppo Nazionale Vulcanologia tel_icon 090 986 708, web_icon gnv.ingv.it. Near the harbour, the national vulcanology organization has an office with useful background information on the volcano. It’s open most days and shows a video about Stromboli, while the national website has photos, technical information and some scary seismograph readings from previous eruptions.

author_pick Magmatrek Via Vittorio Emanuele, just off the piazza tel_icon 090 986 5768, web_icon magmatrek.it. Local climbing guru, Zazà, and his colleagues have daily volcano treks throughout the year. Guides are knowledgeable and experienced and in constant contact with the vulcanological centre.

Totem Trekking Piazza San Vincenzo 4 tel_icon 090 986 5752. Useful little shop that sells and rents out hiking equipment and accessories.

GETTING AROUND: STROMBOLI

By taxi Stromboli has no public transport – indeed the only transport on the island is by three-wheeler pick-up (the Ape, or bee, known as a lapa hereabouts), motorbike or electric car – so if your hotel is any distance from the port you may need a taxi. Though unofficial lapas may offer their services, the only official taxis are the electric golf carts; however, as these take ten hours to charge for every two hours’ driving, demand quite often simply outstrips supply. As a precaution, ask your hotel at the time of booking if they have, or can organize, transport for you. Of the official taxis, Sabbia Nera ( tel_icon 090 986 399), based near the port, are reliable and friendly. In high season, consider booking one in advance to meet you on arrival.

STROMBOLI BOAT TOURS

The main daytime boat tour from Stromboli is the round-island excursion (2hr 30min; around €30 per person), calling at Ginostra and Stromboli’s extraordinary basalt offspring, Strombolicchio. You usually get half an hour to scramble around Ginostra, which is plenty of time to see it, while at Strombolicchio there’s swimming and a 200-step climb up the battlemented rock to the lighthouse on its top.

At night, the stock-in-trade is the cruise to see the Sciara del Fuoco (1hr 30min; around €25 per person), the lava channel rising sheer out of incredible deep-blue sea water. Boats aren’t allowed to dock on the shoreline, since it’s too unpredictably dangerous, but through the gloom you’ll see orange and red flashes from the crater above.

You can book tours at any of the stands by Stromboli Town harbour (prices are broadly similar on all the boats), where you can also charter a boat for longer tours or rent your own, or from Paola and Giovanni ( tel_icon 338 431 2803) who work from opposite the Sirenetta hotel in Ficogrande.

Stromboli village

The main settlement of Stromboli spreads for a distance of around 2km between the lower slopes of the volcano and the island’s beaches. It’s an utterly straightforward layout of two largely parallel roads and steep, interconnecting alleys, though the profusion of local place-names keeps visitors on their toes. From the scruffy quayside area known as Scari, the lower coastal road (Via Marina and Via Regina Elena) runs around to the main beach of Ficogrande, a long black stretch overlooked by several hotels. Further on is Piscità, around 25 minutes’ walk from the port, with the island’s most beautiful and secluded ashy beach at its far end. There’s also a sand-and-stone stretch south of Scari, past the fishing boats, and if you clamber over the rocks at the end of this beach, there’s a further sweep of lava-stone beach that attracts a fair bit of nude sunbathing.

Pottering around Stromboli village as you go about your daily business is one of the great pleasures of being on the island. The other road from the quayside cuts up into what could loosely be described as “the village”, where, as Via Roma, it runs as far as the church of San Vincenzo, whose square offers glorious views of the Strombolicchio basalt stack. Beyond the square, it’s another fifteen minutes’ or so walk to the second church of San Bartolo, above Piscità, just beyond which starts the path to the crater. Once you’ve got this far, you’ve seen all that Stromboli village has to offer. The only “sight”, apart from the churches, is the house in which Ingrid Bergman lived with Roberto Rossellini in the spring of 1949, while making the film Stromboli: Terra di Dio. A plaque records these bare facts on the pink building, just after San Vincenzo church, on the right.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: STROMBOLI VILLAGE

By ferry and hydrofoil Several ferry and hydrofoil services from Lipari call first at Ginostra, though the main port is Stromboli village. Siremar ( tel_icon 090 986 016) and Ustica Lines ( 090 986 003) both have ticket offices by Stromboli harbour. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Lipari (2 weekly; 1hr 45min); Milazzo (2 weekly; 3hr); Naples (2 weekly; 11hr); Panarea (2 weekly; 25min); Vulcano (2 weekly; 2hr).

Hydrofoil destinations Ginostra (1 daily; 10min); Lipari (4 daily; 1hr 20min); Panarea (4 daily; 25min); Vulcano (4 daily; 1hr 30min); Milazzo (4 daily; 2hr 30min).

Information Libreria sull’Isola bookshop on Via Vittorio Emanuele (June–Sept daily 10am–1pm & 5–8pm, sometimes opens much later; tel_icon 090 986 5755), and several other shops in town, sell a good map of Stromboli showing local hiking trails.

Services There’s internet access at the Libreria dell’Isola bookshop.

ACCOMMODATION

Casa del Sole Via Soldato Cincotta, Piscità tel_icon 090 986 300. A cheapie in an old building within metres of the sea. Simple four- to six-bed apartments are available all year, and accommodation is pretty flexible, whether you want an off-season single or multi-bedded room in summer. Kitchen facilities are available, and there’s a sun terrace. No credit cards. Doubles €60

Locanda del Barbablù Via Vittorio Emanuele 17 tel_icon 090 986 118, web_icon barbablu.it. This old Aeolian house provides the most relaxed accommodation on Stromboli, with antique rooms, four-poster beds and original tile floors. It’s combined with a restaurant where you can dine under the stars. Closed Nov–Feb. €290

La Sirenetta Park Via Marina 33, Ficogrande tel_icon 090 986 025, web_icon lasirenettahotel.it. Four-star hotel set opposite the black sands of Ficogrande, with a decent-sized outdoor pool, a summer nightclub and access to watersports facilities. The room rates drop considerably outside summer and at the beginning or end of the season you can stay for around €120. Closed Nov–March. €240

Vilaggio Stromboli Via Regina Elena tel_icon 090 986 018, web_icon villaggiostromboli.it. With simple rooms jutting up against the breaking waves, this pleasant, quiet place offers one of the island’s nicest seaside stays; it also has a good terrace restaurant where you can gaze out over the water. €190

EATING, DRINKING AND ENTERTAINMENT

CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS

La Lampara Via Vittorio Emanuele tel_icon 090 986 009. Dine on pizza, pasta and grilled meat and fish on the large raised terrace under a pergola of climbing vines among huge pots of basil and rosemary. Pizza from €6. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–March.

Lapillagelato Via Roma snc tel_icon 333 320 8966. Artisan ice cream made with natural ingredients and no hydrogenated fats, added colours or preservatives. Try the fig, the vanilla with caramel or the dark chocolate with cinnamon. Daily 3.30–11pm; closed winter.

Locanda del Barbablù Via Vittorio Emanuele 17 tel_icon 090 986 118, web_icon barbablu.it. Stylish restaurant specializing in fresh fish and vegetables, which keeps things simple by offering just three choices that change every day. Choose between a selection of four antipasti created from the fish of the day; a pasta dish with fresh fish; or two fish dishes (no pasta) with vegetables. Each “choice” costs €25, wine and dessert are extra. Mid-June to mid-Sept daily dinner only; rest of the year open on request.

Zurro Via Marina s/n tel_icon 090 986 283. Not exactly romantic, with its startlingly bright lights and sliding aluminium framed windows, but you eat well at Zurro. It’s named for its bearded, piratical-looking chef, a one-time fisherman who shocked his mates by tampering with traditional recipes, but opened a restaurant nevertheless. Try razor-thin slices of raw aubergine, flecked with chilli flakes and served with balsamic-dressed rocket and parmesan; spaghetti alla strombolana, with cherry tomatoes, anchovies, mint, chilli and garlic (€14), or pietre di mare: black ravioli stuffed with ricciola (amberjack) and dressed with capers, cherry tomatoes and basil (€14). The chocolate cake is a must. Daily lunch & dinner; closed Nov–Feb.

Ginostra

Without seeing its name on boat timetables, you might not even be aware of the existence of Ginostra, the hamlet on the southwest side of Stromboli. From the minuscule harbour, zigzag steps climb into a cluster of typical white Aeolian houses on terraces. It’s a refreshingly simple place: donkeys are tethered to posts outside homes; ancient exterior stone ovens lie idle; and cultivated hedges and volcanic stone walls snake up the hillside. Hydrofoils run to and from Stromboli town in summer, though a boat tour is a more realistic way to see Ginostra (unless you fancy actually staying here at the one small hotel). A century ago, there was also a maintained path that skirted the shore back to Stromboli, but assault by the elements has done for most of it. However, following the coast anticlockwise, you don’t need to go very far to find spots where you can swim off the rocks.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: GINOSTRA

By ferry and hydrofoil Weather permitting, a couple of hydrofoils run to and from Stromboli town per day in summer (once daily in winter), weather permitting of course, continuing to Panarea, Santa Marina, Lipari, Vulcano and Milazzo. There is also a ferry to the same places daily except Saturday. The twice weekly ferry to Naples stops at Ginostra.

Ferry destinations Lipari (3 weekly; 3hr); Milazzo (3 weekly; 5hr 25min); Naples (2 weekly; 12hr); Panarea (3 weekly; 45min); Santa Marina Salina (1 weekly; 2hr); Stromboli (1 weekly; 30min); Vulcano (3 weekly; 3hr 45min).

Hydrofoil destinations Lipari (2 daily; 1hr 15min–3hr 15min); Milazzo (3 daily; 2hr 15min–4hr 25min); Panarea (30min–2hr 20min); Santa Marina Salina (1 daily; 3hr 35min); Stromboli (2 daily; 10min); Vulcano (3 daily; 1hr 15min–3hr 35min).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Petrusa tel_icon 090 981 2305. Ginostra’s only official accommodation has three large rooms with their own terraces, sharing a bathroom. Half-board is obligatory in July and Aug; you can eat at their bar-restaurant, L’Incontro (July & Aug daily lunch & dinner), which has fairly high prices (everything has to be shipped in) but is pretty good. No credit cards. Closed Oct to April. €110

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Filicudi

The larger of the Aeolians’ two most westerly islands, FILICUDI is a fascinating place, the contours of its sheer slopes traced with steep stone terraces and crisscrossed by stone mule tracks. It’s an island best explored on foot – which is just as well, as there’s no public transport. The tarmac road that connects Filicudi’s small settlements gives a false impression of the island, making villages seem far apart even if they’re just a few minutes’ walk from each other – at least if you’re fit. Most of the tracks are pretty steep, following and cutting up and down between the ancient terraces carved into slopes of maquis and prickly pear.

Climb away from the port, up the flight of steps opposite the jetty, and you’re in another world. The well-kept paths are lined with volcanic boulders interspersed with great flowering cacti, whose pustular blooms erupt upon elephant-ear leaves. You can clamber down to pebble beaches and swim in deserted coves and at the archipelago’s loveliest lido; make your way around the terraced headlands to phenomenal viewpoints, or hire a little wooden boat (a gozzetto) for the day and snorkel around splintered offshore rocks and hidden sea caves.

Filicudi’s sheer slopes are all painstakingly lined with stone terracing, a reminder that before mass emigration in the 1950s and 1960s there was a great deal of agricultural activity here. Many terraces were subsequently abandoned, and cultivation is now down to a few vines and olives, but they do serve to reduce soil erosion. Today, there are only 250 or so permanent island residents, and while this number swells perhaps tenfold in August with visitors, a coterie of left-wing villa owners (including former Rome mayor Francesco Rutelli), and returned emigranti, Filicudi is still a long way from being overdeveloped.

FILICUDI’S ABANDONED VILLAGE

There are plenty of good walks along the ancient mule tracks of Filicudi: one of the nicest is out to the abandoned village of Zucco Grande. From the port, walk up to La Canna hotel, following the well-kept stone mule track that begins from a point almost opposite the hydrofoil and ferry dock, then continue until you meet the tarmacked road. The path continues on the other side of the road, heading towards the settlement of Valdichiesa. After about 20min, the path forks, and you’ll see the first of several signs to Zucco Grande. The path is well marked, following the contours through a prickly terrain of gorse, lentisk, prickly pear and euphorbia. Another 20min brings you to the village, abandoned forty years ago when its last inhabitants left for Australia. A couple of pioneering souls have bought ruins here, which are being renovated, but at the moment there is just one inhabitant, Giovanni ( tel_icon 347 813 2579 or 368 407 544), who has a couple of rooms (haggle hard over the price as he pitches high) and can provide a basic dinner.

GETTING AROUND: FILICUDI

By taxi There is no public transport on Filicudi. There’s usually a minibus taxi (bus navetta) waiting at the harbour, which will take you where you want to go on the island. It costs €12 to Pecorini Mare, less per head if there’s a group of you. If it’s not there, call D&G Servizio Navetta ( tel_icon 347 757 5916 or 347 517 1825).

By car and scooter There’s scooter rental (€25/day) at the port and from I Delfini at Pecorini Mare ( tel_icon 090 988 9077or 340 148 4645), who also rent cars (€40/day).

FILICUDI BY BOAT

To explore the island’s uninhabited northern and western coasts you’ll need to rent a boat. The highly recommended I Delfini at Pecorini Mare ( tel_icon 090 988 9077 or 340 148 4645) rent wooden boats (€100/day), rubber dinghies (€120/day), kayaks (€15/day), and offer boat tours around the island (€15 per person; minimum 4 people). In summer, there’s usually someone at Filicudi Porto or Pecorini Mare touting for custom; any hotel, shop or restaurant can point you in the right direction too. The main sights include the fine natural arch of Punta Perciato and the nearby Grotta del Bue Marino (“Seal Grotto” – there aren’t any), a wide rocky cavity 37m long by 30m wide, its walls of reddish lava barely visible in the pitch black of the interior. Near the island’s northwest coast, the startling Canna, a rugged obelisk 85m tall, is the most impressive of all the faraglioni of the Aeolian Islands.

Filicudi Porto

Filicudi’s main settlement is Filicudi Porto, a functional place with a few colour-trimmed whitewashed cubes containing a couple of shops, hotels, basic services and two or three bar-restaurants, with terraces overlooking the water and Salina in the distance. Staying here won’t really allow you to key into the magic of the island, however, so unless you have an early morning ferry or hydrofoil, it’s far better to base yourself elsewhere.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: FILICUDI PORTO

By ferry and hydrofoil Filicudi Porto is an hour by hydrofoil from Lipari, and three hours from Palermo. The Siremar ( tel_icon 090 988 9960) and Ustica Lines ( 090 988 9949) ticket offices are on the dockside, both open before departures. Although there is one weekly ferry from Naples to Filicudi, there are no direct services back to Naples from here – you’ll need to connect to another ferry at Rinella or Santa Marina Salina. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Alicudi (1 daily; 1hr 10min); Lipari (1 daily; 2hr 50min); Milazzo (1 daily; 5hr); Rinella (1 daily; 1hr); Santa Marina (1 daily; 1hr 50min); Vulcano (1 daily; 3hr 20min).

Hydrofoil destinations Lipari (2 daily; 1hr); Rinella (2 daily; 30min); Santa Marina Salina (2 daily; 45min).

Services The one-street port has a pharmacy (limited opening), general store and ATM. One of the bar-restaurants here, Da Nino sul Mare ( tel_icon 090 988 9984), also sells ice cream, postcards and island maps (€5) showing Filicudi’s footpaths.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Da Nino sul Mare tel_icon 090 988 9984. The seafront terrace of this bar and pasticceria is the focal point of life in the port. Come for breakfast, a lunchtime snack or aperitivo at sunset. April–Oct daily 7.30am–midnight.

Phenicusa tel_icon 090 988 9946, web_icon hotelphenicusa.com. The only hotel right by the village harbour opens for just four months a year – it’s a traditional three-star, with reasonable rooms, though not all have sea views (and you pay a supplement for those that do). Breakfast is served on the sun-soaked terrace, and the decent restaurant has the same sea and harbour views. Half board is required in Aug. Closed Oct–May. Per-person half board €110

Capo Graziano

Signposted off the main road from Filicudi Porto, it’s a pleasant twenty-minute walk along a steep stone path to Capo Graziano. Here, on a grassy plateau, high above the harbour, are the remains of a dozen or so oval prehistoric huts, dating from the eighteenth to the thirteenth century BC. The site is always open, and though there’s not much to see, it’s a fine place from which to watch the comings and goings at the harbour below, and there are several rocky places to swim from on the south side of the cape.

Rocche Ciauli

Filicudi’s magic begins to make itself felt in the little whitewashed village of Rocche Ciauli, above the port and accessible by road or up a stiff stepped path from the quayside. There’s not a lot to the village – just a hotel, a few houses and a huge bar/pensione/pizzeria/disco, but if you’re not bothered about having the sea on your doorstep, it’s a lovely place to spend a few lazy days.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: ROCCHE CIAULI

author_pick La Canna Via Rosa 43 tel_icon 090 988 9956, web_icon lacannahotel.it. Lovely bright rooms with tiled bathrooms, which open onto spacious terraces with a magnificent view over the bay below. There’s a small pool (summer only), and the restaurant here (daily lunch & dinner, closed winter) is excellent – home-made pasta (€9), fresh fish (€13), local caper salads (€4) and plenty of home-produced wine and fruit. In Aug, half board is obligatory in rooms with a sea view. It’s a stiff climb up the steps from the port; call ahead and they’ll pick you up from the dock. €150

Villa La Rosa Via Rosa 24 tel_icon 090 988 9965, web_icon villalarosa.it. Open all year, Villa La Rosa is, inevitably, the social hub of Filicudi, where locals gather to watch sports matches, play pool or ping pong, eat a pizza, buy a loaf of bread (they make their own) or boogie the night away. There is even a rudimentary selection of groceries (pasta, tinned tomatoes, eggs, oil and the like). Cook Adelaide Rando produces some great dishes (and has written a book on Filicudari cuisine). Try the lasagne with fresh tuna and wild fennel; the herbed rabbit; involtini; swordfish wrapped in lemon leaves; or the prickly pear pudding. Expect to pay €25–30 a head for a full meal. Baked in a wood oven, pizzas kick off at €6. Restaurant opens daily for lunch & dinner; call ahead out of season. There are also rooms in a couple of houses nearby. €130

Pecorini Mare

Eighteen kilometres from Filicudi Porto, at the foot of a narrow switchback road below the hamlet of Pecorini (no more than a few houses grouped around a church), is the little harbour of Pecorini Mare, a mere scrap of a fishing hamlet with a small dockside, a Carabinieri post, a “saloon” selling drinks and gelati, a fine trattoria, a marvellous grocery shop with fresh fruit and veg and genuine local produce (bottled tuna, anchovies, honey, capers, almonds and various conserves) and a lovely desert-island-feel lido (€10 per person per day). It’s a gorgeous, end-of-the-line place, with a long pebble beach backed by fishermen’s houses and holiday homes, and perfectly clear water. In the evenings take a slow stroll up the hill (preferably with a bottle of wine) and out to the clifftop belvedere above to watch the sun set over the offshore rock known as La Canna, the Italian slang for joint (which may clue you in to the mindset of Filicudi’s first wave of tourists back in the 1970s).

TO PECORINI MARE BY MULE TRACK

It is an 18km drive by road from Filicudi Porto to Pecorini Mare, but by mule track it’s a mere 3km. From the port, go up the steps by the Postamat bank machine, and follow the cobbled track until you come to a fork. The right fork leads to Villa La Rosa, but for Pecorini Mare bear left until you hit the tarmacked road. Head right along the road; at the first bend there is an electricity cabin – a little dirt path from here leads down to a good swimming track, while the main, cobbled mule track heads right towards Pecorini, following a terrace. Keep on along this track until you come to a white house, from where a track heads uphill to Valdichiesa; the path to Pecorini Mare squeezes past the wall of the white house, before descending to the village.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: PECORINI MARE

author_pick Lidalina tel_icon 349 361 7577, email_icon info@filicudicasevacanze.it. A desert-island lido at the far end of the Pecorini Mare beach, with straw parasols and a little bar selling snacks, salads and artisan granitas. There’s no music and a single electric cable serving the fridge, so at night tables are lit with oil lamps. Daytime, food is self-service and includes arancini of rice-flower spaghettini with squid ink (€3), polpette of vegetables (€2 each), tuna or prawns (€2.50 each), octopus salad (€8) and a fine caponata (€6). In the evenings it becomes a restaurant, with a simple menu of fish carpaccio (around €10) and grilled or roast fish (€12–15). There are books and magazines in a variety of languages for the use of clients. Anglo-Polish owner Alina also has several houses and studio apartments in the village (all with kitchens or cooking facilities, sleeping from 2–8 people). Closed Oct–May. Houses from €60

Saloon tel_icon 347 047 4914. The quayside below the Saloon is the social hub of Pecorini Mare, and on a summer evening folk gather outside in their hundreds for a sundowner. It has been going since the 1950s, and little has changed: inside there’s a fridge, a kitchen and a table where you pay your bill. Early June to mid-Sept daily 10.30am–2pm & 5–11pm.

author_pick La Sirena tel_icon 090 988 9997, web_icon pensionelasirena.it. An oasis you won’t want to leave, this cosy inn is run with relaxed flair and sits right on the Pecorini Mare seafront, with the fishing boats drawn up alongside. Rooms above the restaurant have little waterfront balconies, and there’s a couple right on the beach itself. Out on the shaded terrace is the island’s most relaxed restaurant (daily lunch & dinner). It gets very busy in Aug, but at most times of the year all you can hear is the sound of lapping water as you tuck into things like spaghetti with almond sauce (€15), orange-scented involtini of swordfish (€15) and an unforgettable Sicilian-style tuna hamburger spiked with fennel seeds, raisins and almonds (€15). In high season there are two dinner sittings, at 8pm and 10pm. There’s wi-fi and a fine Mac for the use of clients. Closed Oct–Easter. Half board obligatory in July and Aug. Per person half board €130

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Alicudi

Ends-of-the-line in Europe don’t come much more remote than ALICUDI. Two and a half hours from Milazzo by hydrofoil, or five by ferry, the island forms a perfect cone, a mere Mediterranean pimple, and its precipitous shores are pierced by numerous caves. Up the sheer slope behind the only settlement, terraced smallholdings and white houses cling on for dear life, decorated with tumbling banks of flowers. Indeed, Alicudi’s ancient name of Ericusa was the word for the heather that still stains its slopes purple in spring. Its rocky isolation was formerly exploited by the Italian government, who used the island as a prison for convicted Mafiosi, but now it’s virtually abandoned by all but a few farmers and fishermen. It’s this solitude, of course, that attracts tourists; not many, it’s true, but enough for there to be some semblance of facilities in the village to cater for visitors. Electricity arrived at the start of the 1990s, so now there’s TV, too. There are two general stores, plenty of fancy boat hardware, even a car or two parked at the dock (though, since there are no navigable roads, it’s not clear whether this is bravado or forward planning on behalf of the owners). You have to walk to reach anywhere and the network of volcanic stone-built paths behind the village is extremely steep and tough – all the heavy fetching and carrying is still done by donkey or mule, whose indignant brays echo across the port all day.

Once you disembark at Alicudi Porto, things to do are simply enumerated. The most exhausting option is the hike up past the castle ruins to the island peak of Filo dell’Arpa (675m). The path runs up through the village houses from the port and there’s a proper stone-built track most of the way. Unfortunately, the track looks as though it was created by a malevolent giant emptying a bag of boulders from the top and letting them fall where they will. There’s absolutely no shade, and it will take at least two hours to get up, though the magnificent views make it worthwhile.

Otherwise, you’ll probably get all the exercise you need clambering over the rocky shore to the south of the port. The path soon peters out beyond the island’s only hotel and the power station, but the rocks offer a sure foothold as they get larger the further you venture. The water is crystal clear and, once you’ve found a flat rock big enough to lie on, you’re set for more peace and quiet than you’d bargained for. The only sounds are the echoed mutter of offshore fishermen, the scrabbling of little black crabs in the rock pools and the lap of the waves.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: ALICUDI

By ferry and hydrofoil Ferries and hydrofoils arrive at the only port, Alicudi Porto. Set in the cave-like dwellings to the left of the dock are the ticket offices (open just before departures) for Siremar ( tel_icon 090 988 9795) and Ustica Lines ( 340 301 5047). Even in summer, when hydrofoil services increase to a maximum of four daily, it’s usually necessary to change at Lipari if you’re travelling onto Vulcano, Milazzo, Panarea or Stromboli. The only direct service to Milazzo is the daily summer Ustica Lines service from Palermo; in summer there’s also one hydrofoil daily to Palermo. The services detailed here are year-round; schedules increase during the summer months.

Ferry destinations Filicudi (4–5 weekly; 1hr); Lipari (4–5 weekly; 4hr); Milazzo (4–5 weekly; 6hr 15min); Rinella (4–5 weekly; 2hr 10min); Santa Marina Salina (4–5 weekly; 2hr 50min); Vulcano (4–5 weekly; 4hr 40min).

Hydrofoil destinations Filicudi (2 daily; 25min); Lipari (2 daily; 1hr 35min); Rinella (2 daily; 55 min); Santa Marina Salina (2 daily; 1hr 10min).

Services Alicudi has just two little grocery stores, both near the port. Supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables are limited at the best of times, so you’d do well to bring what you need with you. Self-catering carnivores should also bring a coolbox of fresh meat, as there is no butcher.

HIKING ON ALICUDI

Most of Alicudi’s hiking is up stepped tracks that seem to have been designed with giants in mind, so be prepared for a good deal of calf-work. If you don’t fancy hauling yourself to the top of the island (675m; 2hr), you’ll still get plenty of exercise climbing up to the church of San Bartolomeo, where controversy rages over the removal of a statue of the saint to a more easily accessible church lower down the hill (it is said that since the statue was moved, the island has had bad luck). Otherwise, follow the path north out of the port behind the church of the Carmine from where it’s an easy walk to the narrow stony beach of Bazzina, with a couple of smallholdings behind it.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Ericusa Hotel tel_icon 090 988 9902, web_icon alicudihotel.it. A modern twelve-room hotel of little architectural charm, a 5min walk south of the port along the shore. Compensating are sea views, spacious terraces and a restaurant. Closed Oct–May. Offers half board only; rates are per person. From €75

Casa Mulino tel_icon 090 988 9681, web_icon alicudicasamulino.it. Small apartments with cooking facilities and rooms with terraces sleeping two, four or six people. Rooms €80; apartments €100

Da Rosina Alla Mimosa Via Vallone 3 tel_icon 090 988 9937 or 368 361 6511, web_icon rosina-barbuto.it. Named after a huge mimosa tree that was uprooted by a recent tornado, the glassed-in terrace of this agriturismo (decorated with abundant artificial flowers) is the best place to eat in Alicudi. Virtually everything is produced or – in the case of rabbit and fish – caught by the family: a raisiny rough red wine, good olive oil, fruit, vegetables and meat (cows and sheep are grazed way up the mountain, goats and rabbits run wild, chickens are free-range). In autumn there are wild mushrooms, and from autumn to spring wild pickings such as fennel and borage. Menus are set (€25 per head); a typical dinner would include an antipasto of grilled vegetables or frittata (with ricotta and borage if you’re lucky), pasta, grilled meat or fish, salad and fruit. There are also a handful of simple rooms to rent. No credit cards. Closed Oct–March, though open on request at other times. €60

Signore Silvio Taranto Via Regina Elena snc tel_icon 090 988 9922. It’s well worth calling in on Signore Taranto, who lives up the hill behind the Siremar office (anyone can point you in the right direction). He cooks dinner on request – spaghetti, fresh fish, salad, fruit and wine – for around €25 a head, served on his bougainvillea-covered terrace in the company of whoever else happens to turn up, which in summer will include other tourists, in winter a motley array of builders, technicians, doctors and others who come to the island to work. Daily dinner only.

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The Aeolian Islands

Highlights

AEOLIAN LEGENDS

Brief history

Political prisoners, emigration and Il Postino

GETTING TO THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS

BY FERRY AND HYDROFOIL

DEPARTURES FROM MILAZZO

DEPARTURES FROM MESSINA

DEPARTURES FROM PALERMO

DEPARTURES FROM NAPLES

VISITING THE AEOLIANS

GETTING AROUND

DRIVING IN THE AEOLIANS

GARAGES

Lipari

BOAT EXCURSIONS FROM LIPARI

Lipari Town

Parco Archeologico

Museo Eoliano

Sezione Classica

Sezione Preistorica

The rest of the museum

Corso Vittorio Emanuele

Marina Corta

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: LIPARI TOWN

INFORMATION

DIVING OFF LIPARI

GETTING AROUND

ACCOMMODATION

HOTELS AND B&BS

HOSTEL AND CAMPSITE

EATING AND DRINKING

RESTAURANTS

CAFÉS AND BARS

ENTERTAINMENT

DIRECTORY

Around the island

Canneto

Campobianco and Monte Pilato

Porticello

Quattrocchi

San Calogero

Cave Caolina

Vulcano

Porto di Levante

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PORTO DI LEVANTE

GETTING AROUND

The fanghi

The Gran Cratere

Porto di Ponente

ACCOMMODATION: PORTO DI PONENTE

Gelso

Salina

WALKING ON SALINA

Santa Marina Salina

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: SANTA MARINA SALINA

GETTING AROUND

ACCOMMODATION

EATING AND DRINKING

RESTAURANTS

CAFÉS AND BARS

Lingua

ACCOMMODATION: LINGUA

EATING AND DRINKING

Malfa

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: MALFA

ACCOMMODATION

EATING AND DRINKING

Pollara

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: POLLARA

Valdichiesa and Leni

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING: VALDICHIESA

Rinella

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: RINELLA

ACCOMMODATION

EATING AND DRINKING

Panarea

BOAT TOURS AND DIVES AROUND PANAREA

San Pietro and Iditella