10/06/2010
The Aeolian Islands, which are about 35mi off the coast of Sicily, are considered one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean. The islands are Alicudi, Filicudi, Paneara, Salina, Vulcano, Stromboli, and the main island, Lipari. They have an amazing history and their volcanoes are a geographical wonder.
The islands history is a long and complicated one. After Greeks colonized them in around 588bc, possession of the islands switched back and forth from Carthage to Rome to pirates and so on, until Naples took it over. In 1544, however, the fierce pirate Ariadeno Barbrossa sacked the islands and took all its inhabitants away as slaves. Ever since Charles the 5th of Naples rebuilt and populated them, the islands have been under Italian rule.
The islands don't have many protected bays, and you can't spend much time in any anchorage without the weather getting nasty, but it's all worth it to see the volcanoes. There are two active volcanoes in the Aeolian Islands, Vulcano and Stromboli. In Vulcano you have hike up to see anything, and when you get to the top you can see sulfur in the crater and sulfur gas coming out of large vents around the rim. The last time it erupted was about 150 years ago. Stromboli is much more exciting, but it takes 5 ½ hours to get to the top and back down. Stromboli is constantly erupting, and if you get to the top at night you can see the glowing magma shooting out of the ground every 15-20 minutes. Seeing Stromboli erupt is one of the most spectacular things to witness in the world.
My family and I had many extraordinary experiences in the Aeolian
Islands. The first island we visited was Vulcano. We decided to hike up, and after lunch we started up the road. All the paths up the mountain were black because they were made from crushed lava rock. Once at the top, we started around the rim, but we couldn't go close to the sulfur vents without gas masks. After 3 days on Vulcano, we went to the main island of Lipari. Lipari is famous for its obsidian (it only comes out of a few volcanoes in the world), which every shop on the island sells. It also has a very large museum with old coins, maps of what the islands used to look like, and an infinite supply of ancient jugs and pots. After spending only one day there we sailed over to the most ancient island, Paneara. Possibly the most beautiful island, it is covered in flowers and has spectacular hikes. Once we got there, we walked over to one of the smallest yet best towns in the whole archipelago, where we got the most delicious coconut ice cream and Dad did the one of the most scenic hike he has ever done. We also visited the remains of a 3500-year-old stone hut. We stayed there another 4 nights until we went to our final destination, Stromboli. This was definitely one of the most spectacular places on Earth. There wasn't much of a town there, but if you go to one of the many hiking places you can sign up for a once in a lifetime trip. We signed up at a highly recommended place, and started up with about 15 other hikers. By the time we got to the top it was dark out, and something happened that took our breath away. At first, everything was silent. Then there was a rumble and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM! Red-hot lava shot out of a small hole about 300 feet away, and before our eyes it turned into little pieces of black rock. We saw 4 or 5 explosions before we turned and went on the long journey back down to the boat. I have had some of the best experiences of my life at the Aeolian Islands. If you ever find yourself in the Mediterranean, you have to go to the fun, scenic, and exiting Aeolian Islands.
Lipari Photos
Panarea Photos
Stromboli Photos
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Comments [5]
10/04/2010
If you would have asked me a few months ago where the Aeolian Islands were, I probably would have guessed Greece, but now we know that they are these amazing volcanic islands between Sicily and the southwest coast of Italy. To visit this archipelago by boat, one needs relatively calm weather as there are not protective anchorages. Happenstance allowed us to be here at the right time. Not only has it been windless, but it is also low season so it lacks the masses of people from around the world who come to hike, swim and gasp at the active volcano. We've spent about 10 days touring four of the seven islands. Here we are exfoliating in the mud baths on Vulcano. Here's a basic primer on volcanoes from Leo:
A volcano is a mountain from which molten rocks erupts. A volcano has magma under its surface. It is a hole in the Earth that erupts. The word volcano comes from Vulcan the roman god of fire. Magma is a liquid rock inside a volcano. It is called lava when it wildly flows outside a volcano. Lava reaches extreme temperatures of 1,300˨F to 2,200˨F. My favorite part of the islands were the explosions and lava blasts on Stromboli.
Photos Here
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09/26/2010
We've been hunkered down in the boat the last couple of days in an anchorage at Vulcano Island, part of the Aeolian chain, about 50 miles from Sicily. It's been blowing 20- 30 knots with gusts much higher. There has been lots of rain and for the first evening we were on a lee shore with waves knocking us about. Eventually as predicted the wind turned 180 degrees in the night. Now the weather is starting to settle and we hope to go explore today. The island is known for its active volcano and mud baths and there is a slight smell of sulfur in the air.
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09/24/2010, Cefalu
We spent 3 days in Cefalu on the northern coast of Sicily. We chose this town because it was half way between Capo Vito and the Aeolian Islands. Cefalu has turned out to be a real treat. We had no idea how much history there was in this little town. It seems like everything is old in Italy, but so far we still enjoy seeing the ruins. Most of the current city began in the 1100's. The main town is nestled next to a prominent rocky hill that was used as a fort in times of old. We had a great hike to the top of the peak admiring the remains of all the structures, but wondering what they may have looked like in their glory.
The island of Sicily is lush with a combination of rocky cliffs and rolling vineyards. Wine is very cheep and much better than the wines of Spain. It seems like we are still in California as you walk down the isle of bottles - Syrahs, Shiraz, Merlots, and even Cabernet's line the shelves. The only thing that lines the supermarket shelves more than wine is pasta. I have never seen so many different types, sizes, shapes and colors of pasta in my life. Deciding which one to buy is an accomplishment.
We are now 40 miles away from Islands of Vulcano and Lipari. Updating our blog has become very easy since we figured out how to tether our iPhone. There is something particularly special about having access to the internet any time you want. We have been struggling to find WiFi, sometimes free sometimes not. Cell phone and internet access is relatively cheap in Italy - so tethering is the way to go!
Photos here
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09/19/2010, Sicily
Buongiorno! We are loving our first entree into Italy. Friendly people, beautiful countryside, yummy inexpensive wine and cheese (well Rodney says it's good:-) It took us two days to sail to Sardinia from Menorca. In Carloforte, Sardinia we met some fun folks from Portland, Maine on the boat Chase. The only downside here was that it was the most expensive marina to date- $79 euro's a night (and that's the low season rate.) We moved to a spectacular large bay and anchored for free in Porto Malfatano - the southern tip of Sardinia and met up w/ Chase again (John - we need photos.) We would have been happy to stay longer in Sardinia - really lovely, but we needed to make our way east. So it was another two day sail to Sicily - where we are now. We are enjoying yet another local fesitval. This one doesn't have dancing horses, but it does have cous cous and fish. Everyone we meet is warm and welcoming. I think we're going to stay in Italy for awhile. Ciao!
Photos Here
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09/19/2010
Our last few days in Menorca we were thrilled to have Greg and Linda visit as part of their two week tour of Spain. (And it wasn't just because they brought us Peets coffee, Trade Joe's peanut butter, school books and two new faucets.) By the time they arrived, we knew the ways of the Menorca winds and were familiar with the island. The timing of their visit happened to coincide with the fantastic festival (see previous post.) We also spent two days at one of the many attractive anchorages where we kayaked, hiked, did scuba, etc. We had some fun filled dinners and Linda (a professional chef) cooked us a delightful chicken pesto dinner. Their visit came to an end and we dropped them off at the dock in Mahon. The weather window for us to move on to Italy was perfect, so we said goodbye and set sail for Sardinia.
Photos Here
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