Island-hopping in the Aeolians – Isole Eolie Sicilia
7 mesi ago Tourism Manager Commenti disabilitati su Island-hopping in the Aeolians – Isole Eolie Sicilia
Each of these volcanic flecks off Sicily’s north-east coast has a distinct charm, whether green and serene or dramatic and explosive, sophisticated summer scenester or an out-of-time islet where donkeys are still the only way to get around.
Each of the seven Aeolian islands has its own identity. You could see them all in a week, but ten days is better; kick off your shoes, let your phone run out of charge and take life slowly.
Most spectacular is Stromboli, a volcanic cone rising straight up out of the sea, which ejects fiery fountains of ash and lava every 20 minutes or so. The best way to witness the pyrotechnics of Stromboli is on a night climb (magmatrek.it), though when the volcanic action really hots up (and access to the volcano is banned), retreat across the water to twin-peaked Salina, where there are few better experiences in this life than watching eruptions in the moonlight from the infinity pool of the island’s Signum (hotelsignum.it) hotel. Salina is the greenest island, with excellent walking and some great little places to eat and drink, including the only non-British branch of Franco Manca (francomanca.co.uk), whose owner has a house on the island; and Bar Alfredo (00 39 090 9843075), famous throughout Italy for its fruit and nut granitas.
Exquisite Panarea is an A-lister party island in summer, a soul-cleansing paradise the rest of the year – walk right around the island, skinny-dipping below cliffs of petrified lava extrusions at Cala Junco and you’ll see what we mean. Lipari has a white pumice beach, black obsidian cliffs, an ordinary town and an extraordinary archeological collection of Dionysian theatre masks, pastel-painted Greek vases and worm-encrusted amphora. Vulcano’s volcano is easily scaled with sulphurous fumes billowing from vents around its crater and a natural (and smelly) mud bath down below.
To get away from it all, collect sunsets and sunrises as you wander the mule-tracks of Filicudi, or rent a house on Alicudi, population 105, where the only means of transport is donkey.
