| Lipari The
largest island in the chain has a beautiful little harbour edged by
a large paved piazza. Here you’ll find cafes and churches that
glow in the sun like bees-wax candles, and brightly-painted fishing
boats laden with prawn pots or swordfish nets.
Dominating one end of the piazza
is a towering cliff. On top is an imposing 13th-century citadel,
which houses a cathedral, some ancient Greek ruins, and the Aeolian
Archaeological Museum. This museum specialises in pre-history, and
ancient Greek and Roman relics. It also has the best ancient maritime
collection outside London’s British Museum.
Behind the harbour
are atmospheric alleyways created by rows of fishermen’s houses
with wrought-iron balconies strung with washing.
There are plenty
of good restaurants on the island, some good beaches, and fabulous
country walks up in the hills. Rent a motor scooter to get around,
catch local buses, or hire a taxi.
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Stromboli
On a clear
day, you can see the lonely volcanic cone of Stromboli from Lipari,
suspended above the sea by a thick cord of smoke. It has a violent
nature, this powerful volcano, and on moonless nights you can watch
it from a tour boat, pulsing, hot and red in the darkness. Lava shoots
out of the volcano’s mouth with tremendous booms, before sliding
down the ravaged flanks to splutter in the sea.
You can climb the
volcano too, but only with an official guide. It’s a three-hour
ascent, which begins gently but soon steepens. Once you've scrambled
up the rocky slopes to the summit, you can watch the fire and lava
turn the night sky into a blaze of oranges, yellows and reds. The
ground trembles as rocks and cinders catapult into the air with each
fusillade, and moments later a soft rain of ash drifts down.
Stromboli
has a pleasant port town and you can soak up the sun
on it’s
black sand beaches.
Vulcano
This
island lent its name to all the world’s volcanoes. According to legend,
Vulcano is the legendary smokestack of an underground forge, the
workplace of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
The island’s known
for its weird volcanic rock structures, and its sulphurous gases.
It takes just an hour or so to walk to the top of the still-smoking
cone, but you can also relax on a black sand beach afterwards if
you like.
The biggest attraction though is the odorous
outdoor mud bath, which people have been visiting since Roman times.
It’s
supposed to cure a range of ailments, but it’s sure to leave
you smelling like a walking souvenir.
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Panarea
Gorgeous Panarea
is popular with the jet-set, who arrive each summer and turn the
island into a playground for the rich and famous. It’s famed
for its white-washed houses and drifts of bougainvillea. Panarea
is a photographer’s dream.
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Salina
Have you seen the
movie Il Postino, or Caro Diario? Both were filmed here. Salina is
also known for its capers, as well as its sweet Malvasia wine. The
island is dominated by two large volcanic cones. There are good hiking
tracks, forests to explore, interesting rock formations, and amazing
panoramic views.
Filicudi and Alicudi
These tiny, more
remote islands are far less touristy than other islands. If you like
wild nature, snorkeling, diving, climbing, canoeing, or fishing then
Filicudi is for you. On Filicudi the locals lunch on spaghetti with
sea urchin eggs and capers, while Alicudi is home to steep mountain
paths and docile mules.
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