Lipari

Lipari is the largest of the eight Aeolian Islands, spending 5 days here was not enough! Main reason for visiting were ancestral ties. Nonno left here in the late 50's, when a majority of locals left the island, effectively allowing the locals who stayed on to become wealthy in the soon to hit tourism boom of the Aeolian Islands! Looking at this island from a tourist perspective you think '”why the hell would you leave a place like this for Australia?" but i guess times where different then!
Getting here was defiantly a task. Leaving Napoli on a hot local train, (with a bag full of panini’s) it took ages to cross over onto Sicily from a ship which chugs a train over strait of Messina from San Giovanni. Local Transylvanian gypsies attack the train with trinkets, fans and funny looking ufo lamps! They where well equipped for the lengthy trek over! We made it to Messina, realigned the train onto its tracks, the gypsies got off , and we continued to Milazzo, where we waited for a bus to take us down to the port, where we then waited for an Ali Scarf bound to Lipari. The boat made a few stops firstly on island, though im not to sure where as i was pre occupied with watching a poorly televised version of McClouds Daughters, dubbed in Italian! It was a strange sight! We then finally arrived on Lipari port where we were swamped with local hosts inviting us to stay at there hotels, but we trekked on up to our Pensione, stinking hot with big sweat patches on our backs from our backpacks!
5 days lazing about, riding from beach to beach on our Vespas was glorious! basking in the sun and drinking beer on peacefull pebble beaches was worth the effort of getting here. The beaches and the general vibe is much more relaxing then the glorified Amalfi coast. We where probebly the only 'western' tourists, with the majority being Italian holidayers. Day trips to the local islands where fantastic, and we where more then sad to be leaving such a beautiful island!

Nothing could prepare us for the great contrast coming, from Lipari to Beirut! :)

---

Part of trip: Last years travels

---