Blogs from Lipari, Sicily, Italy, Europe

We sleep in and spend the morning lazing around the pool. It's a bit hazier today and more humid. We've read on TripAdvisor that the number one thing to do in Lipari is visit the Chiesa Vecchia church in Quattropani on the other side of the island. We trudge down to the port again. I head to the ferry office to buy our tickets for the ferry to Milazzo in Sicily for when we leave tomorrow, while Issy goes to look for bus tickets to Quattropani. I don't know too much about the ferry service, and as I wait nervously in the queue I begin to think that maybe I should have looked into it a bit more carefully before we left home. I hope there is a ferry tomorrow. TripAdvisor said that the bus services ... read more

I head down to breakfast alone. Issy's asked me to bring her back a croissant. There's a large sign on the buffet saying that all food is to be eaten in the restaurant, and there's to be no takeaway. I wonder if I've got the courage to smuggle a croissant back to the room, and what they might do to me if I get caught. I casually walk over to the croissant table, and sneak one into a serviette. I'm pretty sure that no one saw me. I hope that Issy's grateful for the enormous risk that I've just taken. The booking site for the hotel said that it had a shuttle transfer service to take guests to and from the town, so I ask the receptionist when this leaves. She isn't very friendly, and she ... read more

We decided to spend our last three days in Italy on the small volcanic island of Lipari, part of the Aeolian Islands. We found a beautiful apartment in the Sea Rose Villa, right near a small beach, and at the edge of the delightful main town of Lipari. There are about 10,000 residents here year around, but that doubles in summer. While there are quite a few tourists here off season, it's still peaceful. I've been able to run in the hills, swim and look at volcanoes...heaven! I visited the archaeology museum one morning, and was amazed the literal layers of history under my feet. Ancient peoples settled here in about 6000 BCE, and prospered in the obsidian trade, as Lipari has one of the few obsidian deposits in Europe. Mainland tribes took over, the Greeks ... read more

The morning following our amazing trek up to the top of Stromboli was already proving to be sweltering. It was nearly 30° C at 7.30 a.m.! We needed to get a hydrofoil back to Lipari where Carmelina wanted to recee a walk. "The other path has fallen away into the sea", she said! So at 8.30 a.m we were gliding smoothly across a millpond sea towards Panarea, our first stop. It was going to take one and a half hours to get to Lipari. We had just missed the bus for Acquacalda, the beginning of the walk, so Carmelina managed to find a taxi-driver 'friend' who could take us to the trailhead. Timing was a bit tight as we had to be in Vulcano at 4 p.m. to catch the boat back to Cefalù. The drive ... read more

To visit or walk on the Aeolian Islands is something you can do all year round. This time of the year - early June - it's idyllic. You may or may not know that King Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, was the one who gave Ulysses, from the Odyssey, a bag of winds to blow him back safely to Ithaca. Unfortunately for him he fell asleep on the job and his crew opened up the bag, thinking it was full of gold, and in punishment, the whole fleet got blown back to the islands. Not a lot has changed on these islands since Aeolus' days, where he spent most of his time feasting and banqueting with his wife and children. Today most people who visit spend their time relaxing in the small bars, sipping aperitifs ... read more