Destination
The island of Lipari, precious pearl of the Aeolian Islands
TheLionVoyager
Lipari is the largest and most populated of the Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie in Italian), a volcanic archipelago off the coast of Sicily. There are seven gorgeous islands that you can visit: Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea.
The easiest way to get to Lipari or any other island is to take a ferry/ hydrofoils from Milazzo on the north coast of Sicily.
We landed in Catania airport with a flight from London, for then drove to Milazzo with a friend’s car. It’s not the best or quick journey go to the Aeolian island, as once you are in Catania airport you still have to drive 2 hours by car and then take the boat for another 2-2 hour and half, but once you get there is very easy and quick to move from one island to another.
The ferry will drop you off on the edge of Lipari town, at the Marina Lunga harbour and it is a short walk through the colourful streets to get to the historic harbour area of Marina Corta. Around the harbour area there are lots of restaurants and cafes (my favourite one is ‘La terrazza sul mare’ where you can get the best granita and brioche or ice cream of the island), and is the perfect spot for lunch or a romantic dinner in the evening. Lipari is the most practical base for visiting the Aeolian Islands.
Outside the main Italian tourist season (late July – August) Lipari town is large enough not to feel overwhelmed by tourism. It also has a good choice of accommodation for different budgets.
We stayed in Lipari island for seven nights and each day we were exploring different beaches and islands, to reach the most beautiful hidden gems of each island you will need to rent a boat, as most of them are not accessible by foot/car.
The island of Lipari has the biggest town of the archipelago, also called Lipari, a lovely busy place with picturesque streets, an attractive harbour and a historic castle-citadel.
All seven Aeolian islands have volcanic origins, but only in Vulcano and Stromboli island there are still activities today, while we were in Lipari, Vulcano island was making so much noise:).
The last eruption on the island of Lipari took place around 1,400 years ago, and there are currently no signs of volcanic activity other than thermal springs and fumaroles, but the island offer some fantastic scenery like the “I Faraglioni di Lipari”, gorgeous beaches, and the liveliest town of the islands – Lipari is active late into the night (in the summer) and has a very wide selection of bars and restaurants.
Excursions and boat trips
There are many organize boat trips departing from Lipari, that will allow you to visit the other Aeolian Islands. During the summer you’re spoiled with choices, outside the peak season you may still find some excursions running. Walking around Lipari town and the harbour, you will see many shops and salespeople that organize boat trips, they are all very similar and have good price. All of the islands are worth visiting, but the most popular excursion is to Stromboli. To visit the active volcano, you can take an early-morning trip to climb the volcano, or a later trip so you will be able also to visit Panarea, and leaves Stromboli after dark, in order to watch the eruptions from the sea. This is a long but exciting excursion, and I would recommend it.
