The Aeolian
Islands
Greek and Roman
mythology and the ancient
history of the world itself
converge 25-50 km (15-30
mi) off the north-eastern
coast of Sicily, at the
Aeolian Islands (Isole
Eolie), whose natural and
man-made wonders range
from the ancient citadel
(castello) of Lipari, with its
acropolis and unbroken
history of the island's
inhabitants from Neolithic
times, to the extraordinary
red, ochre and yellow
shoreline of Vulcano. In short, it is a volcanic archipelago off the
north-east coast of Sicily.
The now sparsely
populated Aeolian Islands (Lipari, Panarea, Salina, Vulcano, Stromboli,
Filicudi and Alicudi) are a volcanic archipelago. The earliest settlers,
the Cnidians, (580 BC) named the islands after Aeolus, the keeper of the
winds and Homer's Odysseus faced the mighty Cyclops here. More recently,
Rossellini's 1950 film, Stromboli, was inspired by the active volcano of
the same name, where regular eruptions still send special-effect, red,
molten lava down the scarred rocks. The charming Il Postino was filmed on
Salina in the 1990s. The archipelago was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 2000 because of its importance to the fields of geology
and vulcanology, in particular because Stromboli and Vulcano are the
archetypes of two different forms of eruption and have been studied for
more than 200 years.
The islands offer the restless traveler the white sandy beaches and pale
blue sea of Lipari; the tranquility of the garden island of Salina, with
its fresh capers, delicious fish and octopus and soft, sweet, golden
dessert wine, Malvasia; extraordinary rock formations; and the Bay of
Fumarole whose waters, warmed by bubbles of sulphurous steam, lap the volcanic black beaches. Buoyant pumice and smooth black obsidian litter
the beaches of Lipari. Panarea, with its treacherous underwater rocks,
and rocky Filicudi with its basalt shoreline, both boast ancient
settlements. Alicudi, the most remote island, promises panoramic views
and an unspoiled way of life.
The best times to visit the
Aeolian Islands are spring and autumn by boat, ferry or hydrofoil from
Milazzo, Sicily or Naples. Do not miss the Bay of Fumarole that offers
incredible rock formations and black beaches. Also the archeological
museum in Lipari, the lighthouse with the horses' head on Strombolicchio,
night trips up Stromboli, the Valley of the Monsters.
