The Aeolian Islands
The Aeolian Islands are a volcanic archipelago of islands just off the North Coast of Sicily, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. They are named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus, the islands' inhabitants are known as Aeolians (Italian: Eoliani). Most of the islands are covered with vineyards and are known for some of the finest seafood in the Mediterranean.
We were moored in a marina on the largest of the seven significant Aeolian Islands, Lipari. This was an ideal base from which to explore the other islands as there is a ferry dock in the main harbor just a short walk from the marina.
The town of Lipari itself is a cluster of pastel colored winding streets surrounding the harbor. It’s historic old town comprises a castle, cathedral and an archaeological museum which we explored the first day.
Signs posted around town indicating the meeting place when (not if) the volcano blows! You don’t see that everyday.
The next day we ferried over to the island of Vulcano characterized by an active volcano that emits smoke and a sulfurous smell. The plan was to hike up to the crater. The hike did not disappoint - though I wondered at some points if I would make it to the top! The views were breathtaking and not only is the crater a worthy climb, you have views of all seven Aeolian Islands from the top. You can’t see that anywhere else in the archipelago! We scrambled down and ate swordfish for lunch before ferrying back and happened onto a parade as we walked to the ferry. Unbeknownst to us it was some sort of festival weekend and that night we enjoyed a fireworks show from Meraki’s front deck!
The next day we’d planned to ferry to the island of Stromboli to hike it’s volcano and, of course, to eat stromboli. Sadly, we discovered that stromboli pizza was invented by Italian-Americans from Philadelphia who wanted to call their new rolled pizza by an Italian name! (Upon hearing this our son mused that perhaps the Philly cheesesteak was invented in Sicily!)
We wanted to hike the trails around Mount Stromboli, one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. The volcano has three active craters at its peak which erupt continuously every single day (every 20-30 minutes) and have for several thousand years! These minor eruptions are visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea and is why the island's nickname is "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean”.
Unfortunately, although the ferry over to Stromboli that morning was scheduled to sail, due to bad weather the ferry company could not guarantee the return ferry would be running later that afternoon. Not wanting to get stranded, we hatched a new plan and decided to explore the rest of Lipari island instead. We rented a car and explored all 37sq. km (14 sq. miles)! We discovered that the island is criss-crossed with hiking trails and ringed with volcanic sand and pebble beaches. We strolled the stony beaches and hiked out to the steep rock faces for the views. It was a leisurely day which, in truth, was much needed after our crater hike the day before!
Our final day in the Aeolian islands was spent prepping in the usual manner: provisioning, stowing things, cleaning-up. Tom naturally spent the day tinkering, this time installing a back-up camera which will be incredibly helpful when Med mooring and stern tying!
Our next passage would be a 24 hour cruise to Salerno on the mainland, but we would make a small detour over to Stromboli on the way. It would be irreverent to spend a week in the Aeolian Islands and not witness firsthand Mount Stromboli erupt.
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