Lipari - a visit to the citadel
the attractive citadel... from the sea
Being back on Lipari has given us the chance to visit the citadel. Unfortunately we just couldn't find a suitable anchorage where we could leave Flirtie safely for the day. Nearby anchorages were either too deep because of the recently installed mooring fields or too close to the shore, too rocky or suffered badly from ferry wash so we spent a night in the marina at Porto Pignatro, tucked up behind the breakwater. At 100 euros, the night didn't come cheap when we found out the start of high season pricing started today :-(, however there are advantages in paying for a night as it focused the mind on the time available and with the countdown started it certainly wasn't wasted. It allowed us reprovision, manually wash some clothes, dispose of rubbish and spend some time meandering in Lipari town and around the citadel.
Lipari town is split into upper and lower sections. The shops, cafes, bars and restaurants line a pedestrianised main street with booths and ticket touter's selling island tours. Then there's the historic upper section - the citadel, protected by the sturdy and impressive walls where virtually everything of historic interest resides from dilapidated ruins of several baroque churches to numerous excavations which have uncovered many periods of civilisation from prehistoric through to Phoenician, Greek, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and Spanish. It seems that everyone has been here! The excavations have uncovered a continuous record covering almost 2,000 years and a unique sequence that has allowed archaeologists to date other Mediterranean cultures. The excavation of 3000 tombs from around the island were of particular interest.
inside the grounds of the citadel
tombs were laid in a North-South direction with the corpses head to the South. Materials and styles varied over the centuries
a small amphitheatre
Total distance from Lipari, Porticello to Lipari, Porto Pignatro Marina: 5.1 nautical miles
Total distance this season: 255.52 nautical miles
Being back on Lipari has given us the chance to visit the citadel. Unfortunately we just couldn't find a suitable anchorage where we could leave Flirtie safely for the day. Nearby anchorages were either too deep because of the recently installed mooring fields or too close to the shore, too rocky or suffered badly from ferry wash so we spent a night in the marina at Porto Pignatro, tucked up behind the breakwater. At 100 euros, the night didn't come cheap when we found out the start of high season pricing started today :-(, however there are advantages in paying for a night as it focused the mind on the time available and with the countdown started it certainly wasn't wasted. It allowed us reprovision, manually wash some clothes, dispose of rubbish and spend some time meandering in Lipari town and around the citadel.
Lipari town is split into upper and lower sections. The shops, cafes, bars and restaurants line a pedestrianised main street with booths and ticket touter's selling island tours. Then there's the historic upper section - the citadel, protected by the sturdy and impressive walls where virtually everything of historic interest resides from dilapidated ruins of several baroque churches to numerous excavations which have uncovered many periods of civilisation from prehistoric through to Phoenician, Greek, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Norman and Spanish. It seems that everyone has been here! The excavations have uncovered a continuous record covering almost 2,000 years and a unique sequence that has allowed archaeologists to date other Mediterranean cultures. The excavation of 3000 tombs from around the island were of particular interest.
inside the grounds of the citadel
tombs were laid in a North-South direction with the corpses head to the South. Materials and styles varied over the centuries
a small amphitheatre
Total distance from Lipari, Porticello to Lipari, Porto Pignatro Marina: 5.1 nautical miles
Total distance this season: 255.52 nautical miles
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