ROUTE
AEOLIAN ISLANDS
MANY EMOTIONS IN A SINGLE TRIP
An experience of sea, land and food. Between Sicilian and Calabrian coast, the seven Aeolian Islands constitute the largest archipelago in Sicily. Their beauty is characterised by the irregular coasts and the numerous coves typical of the territories of volcanic origin.
ITINERARY
The proposed tour of the volcanoes includes a week on a catamaran among the seven islands that make up the extraordinary Aeolian archipelago to discover volcanic beaches, picturesque villages and primordial landscapes designed by fire, water and wind. Unique and singular places where different atmospheres from one island to another come together in a millenary culture that speaks of the sea, sun and winds.
Combined with the tour of the volcanoes there is also the discovery of a typically Aeolian cuisine, an unforgettable food and wine tour where eating will not be 'just a necessity' but a real ritual. It will be possible to taste the most typical Aeolian dishes in the best restaurants of the islands but also and above all on board our catamarans and boats. Here a refined cuisine awaits you, which respects the traditional culture of the places and above all the recipes of our ancestors. It will thus be possible to taste the famous Saline capers or the cucunci, fresh fish from the Mediterranean, and an excellent Malvasia with delicious Aeolian sesamini at sunset.
The new port of Marina Capo D’Orlando is the best embarkation point to reach the splendid Aeolian archipelago in a few hours. After the embarkation operations we will head towards Vulcano and, passing Gelso Lighthouse, we will set sail in the bay of the same name. A few miles away is the port of Levante where you disembark to immerse yourself in the sulphurous springs and dive from the beach into the warm waters where submerged fumaroles make the sea boil offering a natural hydromassage. For those who are not satisfied with a simple swim but want to try the experience of trekking, they can undertake the climb to the crater through an evocative path between clouds of smoke and amazing views of the entire archipelago, recommended at sunset.
The next day, sailing to the west and a few miles after rounding the mouths of Vulcano, the charming Ponente bay opens up, characterized by the typical black sands.
Half a mile further north we reach Lipari, typical for the white pumice beaches where the seabed covered with the dust of the quarries gives the water an unreal turquoise color.
The town of Lipari is the capital. The castle and the ancient acropolis overlook it, inside which is the Aeolian archaeological museum and the Norman cathedral of San Bartolomeo. Below this promontory, a walk among the numerous shops will lead you to the picturesque square of Marina Corta where the houses and churches a few steps from the water are witness to the ancient seaside village.
Leaving Lipari we reach Panarea, the most fashionable and exclusive island. Here Punta Milazzese delimits the delightful Cala Junco, a natural pool characterized by the colors of the sea ranging from turquoise to emerald. We continue with a stop at the Bartolo buoys and the visit of the delightful village of Panarea. We will bathe in the Dattilo and Basiluzzo rocks and then head the bow 10 miles further north towards Stromboli, the most active volcano of the seven islands.
Still active, Stromboli offers to visitors a surreal spectacle with continuous eruptions of lava that flows directly into the sea through the sciara of fire.
At sunset, it’s possible to climb to the top of the volcano in the company of expert guides.
From Stromboli we head to Salina, recognizable by the two twin volcanic cones now extinct. It’s the quietest and greenest of the seven islands. In fact, a green mantle of Malvasia vineyards covers it. We will then stop for a swim in the spectacular bay of Pollara, bordered by the Faraglione rock and crossed by a splendid arch carved by the sea.
We will moor in the evening in the tourist port of Santa Marina di Salina or in its opposite bay, a quiet fishing village. For lovers of good food it will be possible to taste the typical Aeolian granita or pane cunzato (bread with oil, salt, oregon and other aromes). We will then head to Filicudi and Alicudi, the most pristine and wildest islands of the archipelago. In Filicudi in good weather it will be possible to spend the night in Pecorini after having visited and explored the cave of the sea ox and bathed at the suggestive rock of the canna.
On the last day, we will return to the new Marina Capo d’Orlando after a short stop at the magnificent pools of Venus of Vulcano and the Grotta del Blu Marino. Happy and satisfied to have lived an unforgettable experience to be repeated and recommended on board our boats and pampered by our crews.
Please note: the itinerary and excursions may vary according to weather, sea and wind conditions. The captain therefore reserves the right to change the cruise itinerary, taking into account that the real "captains" are always Neptune and Aeolus, the God of the sea and the God of the wind.
HOW TO REACH US
By plane: flights to Reggio Calabria, Palermo and Catania.
By train: the closest station to the Aeolian Islands is Capo D’Orlando.
By car: Palermo - Messina motorway exit: Brolo