My love affair with Lipari, one of the most beautiful Aeolian Islands, began somewhat like a vast dislike…
Do you know those first nightmarish dates? When fate seems to row against you, tensions arise, but somehow, there’s such an attraction that you fall in love in a matter of seconds, and with each passing day, initial mishaps only make you smile. It was just like that 🙂
I was supposed to stay three days in mid-October to attend a tourist buyers and sellers workshop, and I already felt that the time was too short and the journey too uncomfortable. Still, the adverse weather, the lack of an essential plan B in this area of the year, and the organisational chaos on-site shortened the stay to a minimum. This made the trip exasperating and rendered the workshop ineffective.
It was a truly surreal nightmare! Despite everything I wrote in this introduction, Lipari conquered me. Once on the hydrofoil, which brought me back after only one day, I felt like I was leaving a place I had known forever. Oh, I do love overwhelming passions!
Things to do in Lipari
Do as much as you can, and you won’t regret it! The island of Lipari is a true delight for all our senses and represents the essence of Italy that we experience too rarely.
Everything here is “typical” and simply beautiful: white houses with flat roofs, the cobbled alleys, Baroque towering churches, the scents of rosemary, capers and gorse being the leitmotiv to any stroll, the bright colours of bougainvillaea that cover everything and I guess never wither, the delicacy of hibiscus and heather that dot the island, the white and black beaches following one another, the other six Aeolian islands that surround it and the sea, a crystal clear sea that reflects and enhances everything.
It’s no coincidence that Greek and Latin mythology and classical literature have dedicated many verses and countless pages to this tiny place in the world.
Downtown Lipari
Lipari town centre can be visited on foot in only a few hours. If you have little time, you can leave your luggage at Luigi’s store, located in front of the hydrofoils jetty, and start walking uphill from Marina Lunga along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, as the Liparese people call it, their main shopping street.
Halfway, I suggest you take the first picturesque street on your left up to Piazza Mazzini, Sopra la Civita. Its panoramic terrace is lovely, but unfortunately, they are working on the square, and I was told it’s been like that since 2011. So Italian…
The Castle, one of the Mediterranean’s most essential and best-preserved museum complexes, dominates the square. Inside this ancient fortress, you can admire the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, the remains of the Monastery of the Holy Savior, whose abbey is worth a detour, the fascinating Aeolian Archaeological Museum (6 € for adults, 3 € from 18 to 25 years old and free for children), the most panoramic necropolis ever and then don’t miss a scenic walk along the perimeter of the walls.
Leaving the Castle behind you, walk downhill along pretty Via Garibaldi, with souvenir shops, the flower-filled side alleys, and the incredible outlet on Piazza S. Onofrio, Marina Corta. This square is probably the typical Italian piazza that foreign people have in mind: lots of restaurants and bars, fishing boats, local people knowing each other, kids everywhere, the Church of the Souls of Purgatory right on the pier, and on the right, the suggestive seventeenth-century Church of St. Joseph.
I spent my last super cool hours in Lipari in Marina Corta. I sat by the sea at the Chitarra Bar, taking notes and letting my gaze wander while enjoying a traditional homemade pistachio granita. These were moments of perfect happiness.
Sightseeing on the island
As you might have guessed, the island of Lipari is relatively small, but the things to see outside the old town are not that few and, above all, they are scattered around; I, therefore, recommend you get in touch with a local transport rental service to rent an ecological and silent e-bike (like those I told you about in the post on Cinque Terre and eastern Liguria e-bike excursions), a scooter, or even a fantastic Citroen Mehari.
Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to be carried away by the island’s beauty as I usually do. I then headed to Noleggio Foti to rent a scooter to discover the best viewpoints and beaches—a beautiful tour with some nice stops to discover local traditions and tastes.
The first stop on my tour was Canneto, a charming seaside resort a few kilometres from the main town on the other side of Monte Rosa. Laura explained that this beautiful sandy cove initially housed the families of miners employed in the local pumice quarries.
We then stopped to admire the so-called Spiagge Bianche (i.e., white beaches): a candid bay owing its crystal clear sand and water to pumice sediments. It’s useless to tell you my desire to postpone the hydrofoil to stay here for a swim and relax in the still-warm sun!
Acquacalda also deserves a stage: the settlement was built on the volcanic cone of Mount Chirica, which last erupted in 1600, dripping in different ways and timings and therefore creating distinct white areas of very light pumice stone (so light as to float!) and darkest ones composed by black shiny obsidian, like in Punta Castagna. Nothing is as stunning as nature … In this area of the island, you can still see the industrial installations for extracting pumice stone, which closed in 2000 with the inscription of the Aeolian Islands into the UNESCO World Heritage list “for their geologic and volcanic uniqueness.”
We arrived in Quattropani and enjoyed a spectacular view of Salina! Beautiful.
Once there, do me a favour: take the old street to Chiesa Vecchia (i.e., Old Church). I had no time because I stopped buying Malvasia, capers, and other local yummy products, but Laura told me there was an incredible view. So, please do take a pic of me!
Near Pianoconte, the landscape changes, and you find yourself among gardens and vineyards. The ancient Terme di San Calogero is active in this area until the ’70s. If you come up here, I recommend the Memory Museum, which traces the local customs through the history of the baths and the pumice quarries.
Before getting back to town, don’t miss the Quattrocchi Belvedere. From this square, you can admire the island of Vulcano, among the so-called rocks of the Ants and the picturesque cliffs of Pietralunga and Pietra Menalda. The perfect panorama!
While I was there, the island hosted a blog tour featuring some of the best international travel bloggers, and my friend Rick wrote a post about his own experience.
Getting to the Aeolian Islands
As I type this paragraph, I laugh hysterically…
From my location on the Italian Riviera (Liguria), the cheapest and easiest option (200€) appeared to be a Volotea flight from Genoa to Catania, followed by a three-hour car ride to Milazzo and then a Ustica hydrofoil to Lipari. Would I recommend it to you? I do not know! It went all wrong due to delays at the airport, with the bus, and then the adverse sea conditions that forced me to stay in Milazzo, losing an entire day (I stayed at the Hotel la Bussola on the waterfront and this I can recommend). Probably on sunny days, with calm seas and punctual transportation, the result is a pure fairytale journey…
Other options are the hydrofoil from Messina or Reggio Calabria, with Ustica or Siremar lines, or by ferry from Naples.
Depending on your starting point, even flying to Palermo and taking a hydrofoil to Stromboli and then to Lipari might be a good solution.
Where to sleep
I can recommend this without hesitation: the Hotel Cutimare in Acquacalda is perfect for a relaxing holiday! From its panoramic terrace, the view of Salina, Panarea, and Stromboli is a dream, and the sea nearby is the icing on the cake.
On their website, you can check seasonal rates and special offers.
Where to eat
Here is the paragraph that counts for the islanders and those visiting them: good food!
Respecting the local tradition, I had lunch at Ristorante Filippino on the City Hall square and had a fantastic meal: excellent fresh fish cooked to perfection.
For dinner, I opted for Trattoria del Vicolo, located in a narrow side alley of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, and I highly recommend it! It’s a family-run establishment, and both the husband and wife take great pride in their place and love to welcome their guests. The typical products are carefully matched and cooked with an inspired flair, making them an absolute pleasure. You’ll let me know!
I also suggest you grab something at Essepiù, located on via Garibaldi. It’s a small, definitely touristy restaurant, but their cuisine is excellent. Here, I found a delicious homemade caper jam perfect to go with cheeses and salted bread 😉
I should also mention the holy Sicilian granita, but the topic deserves a dedicated post… history and authentic recipes are coming soon!
Meanwhile, I’ll click “publish” to sip the Malvasia I bought in Lipari.
Also, the other beauties of the Aeolian Islands are Alicudi, Filicudi, Salina, Vulcano, Panarea, and Stromboli, and I’m already planning a sailing holiday to visit them!
For a GPS version of this post, check GPSmyCity, an app I heartily recommend!
So we came to the floating island of Aeolia, where Aeolus lived, son of Hippotas, dear to the deathless gods. A wall of unbroken bronze surrounds it, and the cliffs are sheer. In those halls his twelve children live as well, six daughters and six fine sons, and he has given his daughters to his sons in marriage. They are always feasting with their brave father and good mother, with endless good food set before them. All day long the house is full of savoury smells, and the courtyard echoes to the banquet’s sound, while at night they sleep by the wives they love, on well-covered well-strung beds.
We came, then, to their city with its fine palace, and Aeolus entertained me there for a month, questioning me on everything: Troy, the Argive fleet, and the Achaeanreturn. And I told him the whole tale in order. When I asked, in turn, to depart with his help, he too denied me nothing. He gave me a leather bag, made from the flayed hide of a nine-year old ox, and imprisoned all the winds there. The son of Cronos had made him the winds’ keeper, able to raise or calm them as he wished. He placed the bag in my hollow ship and tied it tight with shining silver wire, so not even the smallest breath might escape. But he first called on the West Wind to blow and set my ships and their crews on our homeward course, though it was not to benefit us, ruined by our own foolishness.
The Odyssey, book X, verses 1-25
