Sicily is first and foremost the breath of an emblematic volcano: Mount Etna, the highest volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. At 3,350 metres, it reveals its four gigantic summit craters in clouds of sulphur. This hallucinating spectacle is contrasted with the gentle Sicilian way of life, with villages with narrow streets lined with bougainvillea, laurel and lemon trees that descend to the blue waters of the Mediterranean. And the islands surrounding Sicily are precious satellites: the seven famous Aeolian Islands, with the luxury of the rich Panarea or the eruptions of the volcanic Stromboli, can be the reason for a Sicilian escapade.
The Aeolian Islands, a movie set
The 7 islets that make up the Aeolian archipelago are dominated, in the distance, by the summit of Mount Etna. There are actually 17 volcanic islands born from the subduction of the Ionian plate against the African shield, but only seven of them are inhabited. The main ones are Lipari and Salina. It takes about two days to visit each island, but you can of course linger longer in the archipelago, which is renowned for its gentle way of life, its cuisine (the delicious malvasia wine contributes greatly to this reputation), its landscapes and the splendour of its seabed. Unesco made no mistake when it listed the islands as a world heritage site in 2000. It is also their beauty and their unique character that have made these islands film stars. Many directors have chosen them as natural settings. The director Nanni Moretti, in his film Diario Intime(Caro Diario), has drawn up a delightful portrait of the most famous of the Aeolian Islands. Rosselini(Stromboli, terra di Dio), the Taviani brothers(Kaos), Antonioni(L'Avventura), Michael Radford(Il Postino) and many others have immortalized them in film.
An archipelago with a thousand-year-old history
The history of these islands is the result of a long geological transformation superimposed on the history of the men who landed there, 4,000 years before Christ. The development of the successive civilizations was directly linked to the exploitation of resources derived from volcanic activity. During his Odyssey, Ulysses made a stopover in these places: "We arrived in the island of Eolia. There dwelt Aeolus, son of Hippotus, dear to the immortals for the kindness of his heart... He gave me a wineskin, and in it he bound the voyages of the roaring winds, which only he could plate or bring forth, since Chronides had elected him guardian of the winds." Here Homer tells how Aeolus, a master in the use of the sail, helping the bold sailors of his time to travel the seas in search of new lands, gave Odysseus the gift of the winds so that he could reach Ithaca as quickly as possible. But Odysseus' crew, too curious, let the maestro, the libeccio, the ponant and the sirocco escape. This is the reason why, even today, these winds sometimes blow violently on the islands. Their name Aeolian Islands may come from this legend, but it is more likely that it was originally the Aeolian Greeks who landed on Lipari at the end of the 3rd millennium BC.
A volcanic spectacle
The first place to go is Vulcano: it is here that Homer's myth resurfaces, as it is said that Aeolus chose this island to settle. Vulcano the bubbling one, with its sulphurous waters, its vapours and fumes, its bare hills and its wild corners, is the most volcanic of the seven islands but also the most dangerous. On 21 km2 there are two active volcanoes: Vulcanello and Fossa di Vulcano. The latter, which must be climbed, develops significant sulfur fumaroles. Vulcanologists often compare it to a pressure cooker under pressure. Despite this permanent threat, the 717 inhabitants, the Vulcarani, live peacefully. To make matters worse, the island's cuisine has its own traditions which are different from those of the other Aeolian islands. Pastoral farming is the mainstay of the island's cuisine, which produces excellent cheeses such as ricotta with capers. The meat of the hunt is also honored on the table as the rabbit with bitter sauce. Then there are the sea products: sea snails with onion and tomato accompanied by a parsley sauce. For dessert, the delicious ricotta fritters are the pride of the island.
Then, just 1.6 km away, we drop anchor in Lipari. The island, with its jagged, rugged coastline and the scent of garrigue, has a certain charm. Along with Stromboli and Vulcano, it is one of the islands most marked by the volcanic phenomenon, with its harmless fumaroles and thermal springs
Stromboli, the natural lighthouse
But the most incredible sight is Stromboli. This island, a natural lighthouse in the Tyrrhenian Sea with its fiery summit, is a real phenomenon. Mainly composed ofa volcano that has been in permanent activity for at least 2,000 years, it draws an almost perfect cone in the middle of the water. At night, its volcano, nicknamed Iddu (He) by the inhabitants of the island who have an ancestral respect for him, invites us to a magnificent show, worthy of all the fireworks in the world. Stromboli has always aroused interest. Rossellini dedicated a superb film to it, Stromboli, terra di Dio(Stromboli, land of God) with Ingrid Bergman. But it is also an island full of charm, with white houses contrasting with its grey and black surface, its luxuriant gardens and its small ports with multicoloured boats.
Festivals and scuba diving
But, at nightfall, you will also love the snob Panarea, the smallest of the archipelago with a surface area of just over 3 km2, for its volcanic atmosphere of a completely different kind! Indeed, its long nights, its picturesque charm, its creeks and its clear waters ideal for diving have earned it the right to be chosen among its neighbours by the Italian jet set, mainly from Milan. On site, you can get around on foot, on a scooter (preferably electric), or in "golf carts", electric carts that are just small enough to squeeze through the narrow streets of the village. Sumptuous villas, luxury hotels, chic restaurants and discotheques have sprung up like mushrooms, and prices have soared. In Panarea, social life has its demands, and one must be seen in the places of the moment. The nightlife is active, more so than on any other island, and people come from all over to dance in the trendy discotheques until the early hours of the morning.
Finally, you can round off your stay by going to Filicudi to relax and dive. The main reason for coming here is to explore the caves and the sea bed, rich in sponges and coral.
Useful information
Where? Sicily and the Aeolian Islands can easily be visited all year round, but the high season is concentrated in summer. Try to avoid August, and enjoy the warmth of the Indian summer.
Getting there. After landing in Sicily, take one of the boat companies that connect to the islands, like Ustica Lines.
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Useful. To prepare at best its escapade.
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