Aeolian Islands

The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic arc that, starting half a million years ago, originated as a result of the collision between two tectonic plates and the consequent rise of magma. Even today there are active volcanoes: Stromboli, whose continuous explosions pour with cascades of lapilli onto the Sciara del Fuoco; Vulcano, whose last eruption dates back to 1888, marked by intense fumarolic activity along the edges of the crater; Panarea, whose submerged crater opens up between the islets, revealed by the numerous fumaroles that emit gas of magmatic origin. The Aeolian Sea offers enchanting scenery, often accessible only by boat, among cliffs, and seabeds rich in biodiversity. There are beaches of rare beauty, Valle Muria and Acquacalda in Lipari, Bazzina in Alicudi, Le Punte in Filicudi, Cala Zimmari in Panarea, il Gelso and the Sabbie Nere in Vulcano, Piscità in Stromboli. The islands are a crossroads of history and legends, which make them stimulating destinations for cultural tourism. Man has inhabited the Aeolian Islands for 8000 years and has shaped the landscape through imposing terraces, leaving traces of his presence not only in the Castle of Lipari – a monumental complex that houses the regional archaeological museum “L. Bernabò Brea” and numerous testimonies from the Neolithic to the Byzantine era – but also in the perfectly preserved Bronze Age villages that rise on Capo Graziano in Filicudi, Serro del Capo in Salina, Punta Milazzese in Panarea. There are numerous routes, ideal for trekking enthusiasts, which wind through garrigues and coastal prairies, brooms and Mediterranean scrub formations. The wine production, deriving from peculiar vines such as Malvasia and Corinto nero, together with the agricultural ones, characterized by the caper, give an unmistakable character to a food and wine tradition that reflects a long history of “peasant islands”, which is also accompanied by fishing, here aimed mainly at albacore, swordfish and creel shrimp.